


Kageyama and Hinata

by hhhhhhhappycow



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst and Humor, Crack Treated Seriously, Daichi is a space cop, Eventual Relationships, Gen, Hinata is an alien, I try to update this at least once a week, Inspired by Lilo & Stitch, Iwaizumi is David because I said so, Kageyama finds an alien in his garden and immediately plot to use him to win a volleyball tournament, Or half-brothers, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Alternating, Suga is a mad scientist, i guess, lilo and stitch AU, oikawa and kageyama are brothers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-02
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:01:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 57,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26774053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hhhhhhhappycow/pseuds/hhhhhhhappycow
Summary: Kageyama does not so much choose Hinata at the pound as find the boy stuck in the tree in his garden.(AKA the sort-of Lilo and Stitch AU that nobody asked for.)
Relationships: Daishou Suguru/Yamaka Mika (mentioned), Hinata Shouyou & Kageyama Tobio, Hinata Shouyou & Sugawara Koushi, Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, Kageyama Tobio & Oikawa Tooru, Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi
Comments: 44
Kudos: 88





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this chapter is just going to be kind of a short prologue to the rest of the story. Also, I can't guarantee exactly when I will be updating this and it will probably be pretty sporadically, but I will (slowly) be working through it.

“As an abomination and a crime against nature, you are being sentenced to destruction.”

Hinata was not quite sure what that meant, although he had been hearing that word a lot recently. Destruction: That was what everybody kept saying he was built for.

Frowning, he peered out of the glass canister he was being held in and around the dark chambers. The wizened old man on the podium in front of him- the Judge, Hinata had heard him called- was staring back at him with a somber face. The guard just to the Judge's left had a matching expression on a far smoother face.

Hinata looked around, at all of the figures in the groups clustered to either side. They, too, stared at him. All of their eyes were trained on him, as though waiting to see how he would react. They were all impassive, silent, giving him no indication as to how this should affect him.

Finally, his eyes struck on the one familiar face, and what he read there was horror.

“Please! Please, he is not an abomination, he is just an accident!”, Suga was crying as the guards led him from the room. “Who among us can truly claim not to be an accident? Even you, Judge Washijou, may have been-” He stopped.

Hinata, be like the Judge? He looked back to the elder councilman and shuddered. He certainly hoped he was nothing like that man.

There was a tugging sensation on his cuffs, and the transparent capsule shrunk around him as a young guard with black hair was prodding at the floating device that restricted his movement. He could feel the guard’s heart beating slightly faster when Hinata smiled at him.

He could probably have escaped it if he put his mind to it, but it was only now occurring to him that he might want to.

Hinata hated the cell. It was bland and white and boring.

Sure, he could escape, but where would he escape to? He knew nothing but life with Suga and the experiments he would run, throwing things for Hinata to catch, combing his hair gently in the evening before Suga went to sleep. Hinata only needed a couple of hours of sleep but Suga seemed to require a whole lot more. Being in the cell felt like those mornings when he would sit and wait for Suga to wake up just so that he had something to do.

His ears twitched when he heard the whistling.

That man was back. The tall one with the fluffy black hair that stuck right up off of his head.

A whooshing noise sounded as the door opened, and the man walked in. Hinata was not sure why he kept coming.

The man, as always, paused in the doorway to rock back on his heels, hands on his hips. Then, he clasped his hands in front of him and meets Hinata’s gaze. He seemed to be one of the few people who wasn’t afraid of Hinata, although Hinata did feel his adrenaline pick up slightly, could see the bumps on his arms raising.

“It’s a real shame, you know”, the man murmured as he wandered about the mostly empty room. “Sugawara is a mad genius for coming up with you and it’d be interesting to spend some more time with you, see what you could do.” He shook his head. “Orders are orders, though. Sorry, kid. I didn’t want to be the one to do this, but I wasn’t about to let Daishou come in here and do it.”

This time the man was not alone: Another man, shorter and with longer hair, wheeled in a large chrome box. As soon as he was inside the room and the doors were closed, he dropped to his knees, opened a door in the side of the box, and began pulling out various vials with liquids of all different colors and densities. The glass clinked together unpleasantly.

Hinata shrunk away from the man's curious gaze and elected to study the newcomer instead.

The power dynamic between the two was immediately clear: The smaller one was subservient to the larger, perhaps an assistant of some kind. But there was something else there, too. They did not seem to dislike or be wary of each other, like most of the others at the station. Strange.

Hinata looked back to the first man, to find that he was watching Hinata with his hands back on his hips, bringing his white coat in close to his side. Eventually, he sighed and shook his head once more.

“Well, I’d better go check the chart.” He turned to the smaller man. “Kenma, I’ll be back in a minute.”

Kenma didn’t look up from the vial he was preparing. “Okay.”

As the man left the room, Kenma looked up at Hinata. He had wide golden eyes, and Hinata wondered what species he was. When he saw Hinata looking back, he quickly glanced away.

A strange ringing tone filled the room, and Kenma sighed before producing a small square box from within his own jacket. He felt it in front of his face and pressed a button on the surface.

“What do you want, Daishou?”, he asked, his voice a monotone.

The voice coming back over the radio was crackly and strange. “I need you to bring me some more of that astatine.”

“Do we not have some in the lab? I can’t leave the experiment”, Kenma’s eyes flickered up once again towards where Hinata was suspended, and then his face retreated back behind his curtain of hair.

“It’ll take two seconds”, the voice over the radio replied.

Kenma hummed and put the box back into his coat. Standing, he carefully closed the doors of the box, swiftly pressing his fingers to it in a pattern that Hinata could tell was not random as he did so. With one final peek at Hinata, he left the room, the door sliding closed behind him with a hiss. 

A clattering sound caught Hinata’s attention: Very faint, but definitely there.

Kenma had dropped something. Just outside of the door.

Curious, Hinata remained still for a few seconds. Then, he tugged at his restraints.

No give.

Taking a breath, he pulled, and the restraints split open with a thunderous crack, coming free of the wall.

After that, the door was easy work. Hinata blasted it off of its hinges with one hand. Ignoring the blaring alarms and the sounds of rushing footsteps, he stooped to pick up the small metallic object on the floor turning it over and over in his hands.

A key card. What was that for?

Hinata barely had time to react to the shot of plasma from the blaster. He ducked away at the last moment and then began to weave and roll away from the shots fired by his other assailants.

Following his memory of when they had first brought him here, blindfolded, Hinata crawled the wall and onto the ceiling, and then down winding corridors. Every few seconds he had to dodge to avoid the almost constant stream of blasts heading in his direction. Everywhere people were wailing and running as soon as they spotted him, and some of them even crashed straight into those pursuing him, which made things slightly easier.

He wondered briefly why they seemed so afraid of him. He had heard what the judge had said, of course. But was that really true? Suga had always taught him to be kind to people, to treat them as friends. He would not harm any of them here. Well, not unless they gave him a reason.

Ultimately, he discovered what he was looking for amid all of the chaos: A ship. He could see the scanner on the door from across the bay and knew from the scatches on the card in his palm that it would fit exactly.

He paused as he made his way over, wincing when one of the plasma weapons finally landed on target. He shook himself to get all of the plasma off: It stung slightly. Glancing back over his shoulder, he saw the man who had hit him backing away slowly, and he turned back to the craft.

Hinata had never driven a ship before.

He shook himself once more. How hard could it be?

It was fun, piloting a ship for the first time, Hinata decided, as he weaved and dodged among the fleet surrounding him. He found himself giggling as they attempted to pursue him. One ship, in particular, stayed close by him yet, eventually, he lost that one, too.

After an hour of chasing, Hinata found himself drifting in space. Alone.

Where could he go now?

He stared out of the large glass window. He was passing by stars and planets, so fast they were almost a blur, only managing to catch glimpses here and there.

For a moment he missed Suga. Suga had always done everything for him. Was Suga still there, in the place from which he had just escaped? Was he also in a cell?

Did he miss Hinata, too?

A light and another siren began to go off, and Hinata jolted back to reality. There was something wet on his face, and when he blinked and turned to the noise, his vision blurred. Swiftly wiping the liquid from his eyes, he stared at the screen in front of him.

The ship was running low on fuel. And Hinata did not know much about this world, but he knew that that was bad news.

Scrambling back to the windows, he searched for the nearest planet.

And his gaze fell on a blue and green orb.


	2. Chapter 2

The classroom door opened with a thud that had most of the class wincing.

Apologetically, Tobio bowed to his teacher, pulling his bag around so that it was not swinging out to one side as he did so. It was light and, a moment later, his eyes widened. He had forgotten his lunch.

“Kageyama!”, the teacher, Miss Ito, all but bellowed.

“Sorry for being late, Miss Ito”, he responded. “And- sorry about the door.”

“Alright, Kageyama.” She sighed. “To your seat.”

With that, Tobio straightened and began walking toward his usual spot by the window. As he passed Tsukishima he spotted the boy rolling his eyes and groaned internally. He knew the blond boy was going to say something incredibly dumb before he even opened his mouth.

He was right. “Well, look who’s finally here. It’s no wonder your grades are so poor since you’re always missing class.”

As ever, there came the usual chorus of Yamaguchi snickering. Tobio didn’t hate him quite as much as he hated Tsukishima- Yamaguchi lent him pencils, sometimes, behind Tsukishima’s back- but they weren’t exactly friends.

Tobio slumped into his desk and took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. He couldn’t let them antagonize him anymore. Coach Ahane had threatened to have him taken off of the volleyball team if he couldn’t get along with his classmates.

But it was _so hard_ when Tsukishima was smirking at him from across the aisle like that.

“What’s the excuse this time?”, he asked in a lilting tone that indicated he wasn’t expecting an answer, raising one eyebrow at Tobio.

Keeping his head bowed over his desk, Tobio mumbled; “I was late because I was helping my brother pack his things away. We were watching the stars last night.”

Another voice that Tobio recognized- Hyakuzawa; incredibly tall and a little slow, useful for volleyball and not much else, in his opinion- piped up from the next row over; “Watching the stars? What for?”

Before he could respond, Tsukishima was already speaking. “His brother makes him. They’re looking for aliens or something, apparently.” Tobio scowled. He had told Tsukishima about Tooru’s interest in sci-fi movies in confidence back in elementary school when Tsukishima had asked how Tobio knew so much about American TV shows, but the boy had never let him live it down. It wasn’t as if his brother was obsessed or anything: He just liked it, the same way Tobio liked volleyball. Admittedly, Tobi recognized that that was not the best comparison.

“Aliens?”, Hyakuzawa asked, frowning.

Tsukishima turned to Tobio, his lip curling in a sneer, and said; “Your brother is crazy, and so are you.”

Those words were enough to have Tobio leaping from his seat to grab Tsukishima by the collar.

They clattered to the floor, Tobio on top of his opponent. He ignored the fact that his arm had caught on Tsukishima’s desk and was likely going to bruise judging by the pain he numbly felt, and that the rest of the class were either shrieking, cheering, or moving out of the way.

Tobio's only regret was that he didn’t get a real punch in on Tsukishima’s face before Miss Ito pulled him away.

He was given lunch detention, and the rest of the day did not improve.

Aside from Tsukishima and his friends- which now apparently included Kindaichi and Kunimi, _his_ friends up until about a year ago- glaring and muttering at him, he had to deal with being stuck in a group alongside Koganegawa, the idiot of their class, and Yachi, who squeaked every time he so much as looked in her direction.

“What is your problem?”, he asked her earnestly, only she gave him a look as though she were about to burst into tears, and he cursed both himself and everyone around him.

It was a relief when school was finally done. Afterschool was usually his favorite time of the day. There was no practice today, sadly, so Tobio stood in the yard and bounced the ball against the wall by himself- angling his hands just so he could hit each little dent and chip dead-on- until all of the other children had gone.

Another teacher he didn’t recognize threw him a curious look as he walked past, but Miss Ito, who was walking with him, beckoned him onward. The two of them began to whisper to each other, glancing back over their shoulders at him.

Tobio ignored them.

When he eventually decided it was time to go home, he took the shorter route directly to the house, feeling his belly rumble. It was just now occurring to him that he was starving: His stomach was surely touching his backbone.

It took him longer than normal to get the keys in the lock until finally, cursing under his breath, he was able to let himself in.

Inside, the house was dark.

“I’m home!”, he called, flipping on the lights and setting his things down. No answer came.

He didn’t bother taking his shoes off: Part of his routine every night was heading out into the backyard.

After setting dinner on to cook, he made his way outside, the rough surface of the ball grazing against his palm where he held it tucked into his side.

He swiftly fell into the usual pattern: Stand at the very edge of the stone patio. Aim. Toss the ball toward the sole tree in the middle of the grass. Scamper forward to pick it back up. Run back to the patio. Repeat.

Occasionally, he would switch things up, doing a couple of laps of the back yard when it was especially cold, or attempting to see if he could guess where the ball would land and take off running as soon as he threw it.

Once or twice, the ball would land in a bough in the tree, and he would have to climb up to get it down. An elderly woman had been walking by with her dog one time when he had done so, and had eyed him with concern, but had not said anything to him.

Tonight, he was in too foul a mood to attempt anything out of the ordinary. He let himself fall into the soothing rhythm of routine, body moving almost on its own.

As always, after a few minutes, he began to imagine that he was tossing to Tooru, or to his mom or dad. They used to all play together, sometimes. Grandpa had never played: He was too old, too stiff in his movements, by the time Tobio was old enough to play.

But he would always sit and watch with a beady eye, coaching Tooru and Tobio into mini-games against each other. Those had always been Tobio's favorite times, even though he rarely won. Tooru was just too good when he played, even with his injured leg. And Grandpa had never shown preference to one of them, either, always remaining impartial in their battles, coaching them the same even though Tobio was so much younger and Tooru was not his grandson but his son’s stepson. He and Tooru had been close, Tobio knew, but he’d always enviously hoped that he and Grandpa had had a special bond of sorts.

Pausing, he held the ball in his hands staring down at it. He really needed to trim his fingernails again, Tooru and Grandpa would normally have chided him by now to do it.

Grandpa had gone only a few months after their parents, which was just so harsh a thing for the world to do to him.

The smell of the strew had his head jerking around so fast his dark bangs swung into his eyes. He would have to ask cousin Miwa to cut his hair the next time she was in town, he thought: She came sometimes to give them money.

Racing back inside he discovered, much to his chagrin, that the stew was slightly overcooked. How had he managed to forget about it?

As he turned the heat off and began ladling some into a bowl, along with some spoonfuls of rice, he glanced up at the clock.

Ah. It was after eight.

Tooru was late.

Again.

He sat down to eat, the sounds of his slurping echoing loudly in the empty kitchen.

The bowl was half-empty when there came the sound of keys turning in the lock.

“I’m home!”, Tooru called. He appeared in the doorway, lifting the ridiculous hakama they made him wear at work to toe his shoes off. Tobio suddenly remembered that he was still wearing his, and kicked them off under the table.

“Welcome home”, he replied dutifully, taking another mouthful of food.

“Sorry I’m late.” His brother made his way into the kitchen and looked over the stove as he spoke, before grabbing a plate from the cupboard and beginning to load it with rice. Tobio knew that he always liked to eat a lot of it, whereas he preferred more stew in his stew-to-rice ratio.

Haphazardly slinging the rice about, Tooru continued; “We were so busy, I couldn’t get away. The manager would have had my head if I’d left. How was school?”

Tobio shrugged. “It was okay.”

“Really? Just okay?” Tooru paused in what he was doing to raise an eyebrow at Tobio. When Tobio shrugged once more, he turned back to the stew. “Did the teacher say anything about you being late again?”

“No.” Tooru looked relieved at that: Tobio’s math teacher, the only one out of all the school staff who seemed to have not stopped being so lenient with him since the funeral, had called Tooru in to speak to him before because Tobio had been zoning out in class. Tooru had been terrified, looking as though he was being scolded himself, biting his tongue and staring down at his lap. But he had taken Tobio to get ice cream after, so it was probably worth it.

“I just forgot the time, is all”, Tooru said. “We’ll go camping one weekend next time, no more school nights.”

Tobio merely grunted and watched as Tooru sat opposite him. He didn’t really care so much about the camping or stargazing, he just went because Tooru took him, and he knew it made Tooru happy to feel almost as though they were doing something together. Except they weren’t because Tooru would talk about and look at the stars and Tobio would sit next to him and think about everything and nothing all at once, only tuning in when Tooru said the same words he said every time.

Tooru took a mouthful of food and then made a face. “Ew, did you burn this? It tastes like shit.”

Tobio blew out his cheeks, huffing. “You should be the one cooking. I hate cooking.”

“Oh, come on, Tobio”, Tooru cooed, ruffling his hair.

“And don’t touch my hair!”, Tobio snapped, huffing even more.

“Okay”, Tooru said, and ruffled his hair again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to clear up any potential confusion: In this AU Kageyama and Oikawa have the same mom but not the same dad. Also, Oikawa and his friends are around 23, while Kageyama and co are 12.


	3. Chapter 3

Daichi was sure that, if he had been at the Hub that day when the alarm sounded, the creature would not have succeeded in getting away. After all, he had been the one who had initially captured it.

However, it seemed to be fate’s design that his recent streak of good luck preceded a run of bad luck, and as such he was away at the time of the trial. Although he probably should have been at the scene, he had taken it upon himself to follow up a lead on the intergalactic criminal, The Monster. That was Ushijima’s case, really, but with Daichi’s recent promotion they were trusting him to take more of an initiative, and any information he could gather would surely be of use to them. It was only a couple of galaxies away, and so he had offered to save Ushijima the journey.

He was therefore surprised when he arrived back to find the Hub in almost complete lockdown. What was even more surprising was that both Ikejiri and Michimiya were refusing to meet his eyes.

Daichi frowned at them as he stepped down from his ship and into the docking bay. A lot of other staff members were racing past frantically: His two friends were the only ones standing stock still. “Guys? What’s happening?”

“Did you not get the transmission?”, Michimiya squeaked, only for Ikejiri to throw her a wide-eyed look that swiftly silenced her. She flushed a deep purple.

“Sir, it’s…”, Ikejiri began, pausing to swallow.

Daichi felt a wave of guilt and fear flooding over him. The three of them had started out together, going through the hardships of training with a shared goal of keeping the galaxy safe, and he didn’t want them to feel like he wasn’t their friend anymore, just because of his new status. They were in it together.

He held one hand up before they could continue. “Woah. I’m still just Daichi. You don’t need to treat me like a superior officer or anything.”

“We know.” Ikejiri smiled; a thin, watery smile. “It’s just, well…” He scratched at the back of his head. His next words were mumbled, and Daichi had to strain to hear. “The abomination created by Sugawara Koushi has escaped.”

A black hole may as well have opened up at his feet. “What?”

Michimiya blurted out; “We don’t know how it happened, but it got out! It got onto a ship and the last time we received a transmission it was still in hyperspace.”

Daichi looked sharply between them. “When was this?”

“It escaped about twenty minutes ago”, said Ikejiri. “The creature was going to be destroyed: Someone must have, I don't know, left a weapon in the room-”

Not bothering to listen to any more of what his friend had to say, Daichi turned on his heels and marched away, shouldering through the throngs that were racing up and down corridors. Several technicians had gathered in clusters and were examining the damage to the ceiling- and Daichi found himself slowing to gape at the scratches along it and the walls where the creature had evidently scaled them in its escape. Dimly, he heard Michimiya and Ikejiri debating whether to follow him and was glad when he didn’t hear them chasing after him. They didn’t need to be here for this part.

Daichi clenched his fists as he made his way to the labs. He couldn’t trust those technicians to do anything; least of all Kuroo. He could have sworn that man was out to sabotage him from the very beginning, always snidely commenting on Daichi’s aspirations to be a high-ranking ranger. He just had to go and undo all of the work that Daichi had done on his first big bust.

Others in the corridor began to take notice of him- to take notice of his posture, his face, and most of all his jacket- and jumped out of the way. Even Terushima, who was still in training and who had tagged along with Daichi’s group on several missions previously, didn’t chirp out his usual greeting. Of course, they all knew.

As soon as the door of the lab flew open, Daichi’s eyes located Kuroo, across the clear counter. The technician glanced up, black eyes flying wide open behind his goggles and his previously flat hair springing straight up on top of his head.

“Was it you?”, Daichi demanded in a growl.

Kuroo cleared his throat. “Sawamura, you can’t just barge in here.”

Daichi didn’t slow in his approach. “Did you let the creature go just to spite me?”

Carefully setting down the vial he was holding and moving to stand back behind his desk, Kuroo began to speak. Daichi thought that he sounded more exasperated than angry.

“Look, we haven’t always seen eye to eye, but if you’re seriously asking me whether I purposefully let an unclassified mutant escape-”

“It was left in the care of your department!”, Daichi exploded. “You should have been watching it!”

Kuroo snapped; “My job isn’t to babysit all of the abominations you find, Sawamura, just to destroy them. And that’s bad enough as it is.”

There were footsteps, and then Daishou was emerging from a doorway behind Kuroo. Once he took in the scene before him his pinched face drew into a smirk, and Daichi felt his blood boiling.

He had never had to deal with Daishou much before, thankfully: He had heard whispers that he was a nasty piece of work sometimes. It was almost impossible to believe given that his fellow ranger, Mika, was one of the most kind-hearted people Daichi knew. The ones who whispered about Daishou never brought him up in front of her.

“Sawamura, I would leave if I were you”, Daichi said, his voice a soft hiss. “Washijou was looking for you.”

Daichi merely nodded swiftly, swallowing, and Kuroo relaxed slightly.

With a final glare in the technician’s direction, he turned to go.

Something caught his eye and gave him momentary pause: He had not realized it when he came in but Kuroo’s assistant, the small and quiet but incredibly intelligent Kenma, was stood against the wall directly behind him, his gaze fixed on Daichi. There was a needle in his hand.

As Daichi met his eyes, he too relaxed and let out a small breath.

Washijou’s office was halfway around the other side of the Hub, and it took Daichi only a few minutes to walk there: Not long enough compose himself. He hovered outside the door for a moment, taking several deep breaths.

“Come in”, Washijou called, before he could even knock. He was sitting at his desk with his gnarled hands folded together. His ancient eyes raked over Daichi, just the once. “I could hear you breathing, Sawamura.”

“Sir.” Daichi bowed his head respectfully. “I only just found out a short while ago. I cannot believe that-”

Washijou raised a hand and silenced him. “What has happened has happened. We need to focus on fixing it.”

“Right. Yes.” He swallowed. “I will organize a fleet, set out immediately to recapture-”

“A fleet?” Washijou raised one eyebrow, and Daichi was momentarily glad that the Judge’s features were similar enough to his own that he could recognize the gesture. For some of the creatures on board, getting a feel for their emotions was difficult. For certain others, it was too easy.

“He has a ship”, Daichi said, not quite understanding what it was that Washijou was questioning. “There may be an aerial battle- or possibly-”

“There is no need of a fleet”, Washijou said, his rasping voice somehow soothing in its steadiness. “Ushijima’s team has already traced where the abomination has landed. It has descended upon a small planet named Earth. It is uncontacted: We cannot go barging in with a whole fleet.”

“Earth?” Daichi’s stomach churned. The name was very familiar to him. He had heard much about its inhabitants. “But… Does it not pose a threat to humans?”

Washijou nodded slowly. “It does, which is why we must find it swiftly. You, more than many of our other rangers, have some familiarity with the humans. I want you to go to Earth, locate the creature, and return it.”

“But… We don’t know its full set of abilities.” A ripple of fear raced up his spine.

The Judge’s head snapped up to look at him, this time with both eyebrows raised. “What did they teach you in your training? That if a situation is potentially dangerous, that you must not go?”

Daichi watched the floor. “No, sir.”

There was a moment of silence, and then Washijou said; “I have faith in you, Sawamura. We want this done with minimal loss of life and minimal disruption to native species: You go down there and try to take the creature back. If you feel that it is not at all possible, request back up. Ushijima is still busy with The Monster, but he and his team will be on standby if necessary, and there are other crews from other Hubs I can contact if need be.”

“Yes, sir. I’m confident I can handle this alone.” He wasn’t.

“Good. Don’t let me down, I’m trusting you.” Daichi glanced up at Washijou, fighting a proud smile, when he continued; “And I don’t intend to send you completely alone.”

“Sir?”, Daichi asked.

Perhaps Washijou was planning to send Michimiya and Ikejiri with him: It would be a great opportunity for them both, although they both had distinctive features that very much set them apart from humans; or maybe Terushima was being given his first big assignment, Daichi knew that for all he goofed off he was capable enough.

Washijou leaned forward. “The greatest hope we have of extracting the creature without too much trouble is if we have Sugawara Koushi go with you. He is the only one it seems to listen to.”

Daichi froze. Suddenly all he could see was a pair of large brown eyes staring at him as he broke down the door, the way the young man had tried to shield his creation, the misery on his face as Dichi handcuffed him, and the way he begged them not to harm his son. The guilt that had settled in his stomach- part of the reason he had offered to work on Ushijima's mission- was something he had never anticipated when he had applied for his placement at the Hub.

“Sir…”, he said slowly, hoping that Washijou would not notice the way his pulse was jumping in his throat, “I don’t think that is a wise idea.”

“He will not be able to escape: Firstly, he has nowhere to run to, not now that we have his laboratory. He also understands that if he can convince the creature to return with us peacefully- or at least depart that planet without the use of force- we will be willing to negotiate certain benefits for him that will make his life imprisonment more bearable. And Earth is a rather primitive place; they do not have intergalactic travel. Your ship will be the only one he has access to, and we can program it to start for you alone.”

“It’s not that. I just don’t like the idea of being left by myself with a mad scientist and the creature he created, that we know next to nothing about.”

“As I have mentioned, there will be others on standby and ready to help if you should need it. If you have any concerns on the mission, request back up. But for now, I want to try this in a manner that is as peaceful as possible.” Washijou hesitated. “I could always send the Kamomedai group… Or the twins…”

Daichi could remember meeting them while visiting some of the other Stations during his training. It hadn’t always been a pleasant experience.

He shook his head. “No, sir. I feel as though this is my responsibility. I can do this.”

“Very well.” Washijou smiled minutely. “Go and get ready. We will program the ship and you will leave with the prisoner in two hours. Time is of the utmost importance. Good luck, Sawamura.”

Giving the Judge one final dip of his head, Daichi walked out. He hadn’t been lying when he said that he felt as though it was his responsibility to once again track the creature; yet, he couldn’t shake the feeling that things were about to go very wrong.


	4. Chapter 4

The samurai behind the bar was glaring at Tooru again.

“What? I can’t help it that my shift ends now”, Tooru laughed as he reached for his coat: He didn’t want anybody to see what he was wearing underneath as he made his way through the streets and to home. Not that there would be that many people out with the miserable weather that they were currently experiencing. He checked his watch. “Actually, it ended half an hour ago.”

Matsukawa sighed, and his whole outfit clinked as wiped down the counter in front of him. Tooru had no clue how he was managing to serve drinks dressed like that.

Hanamaki, who was also supposed to be waiting tables but who had spent most of the evening lounging by the bar in the silky kimono that they had all laughed at until their boss said no, he was serious about it being one of their uniforms, stage-whispered to Matsukawa; “He’s abandoning us, Matsun.”

“I have another shift tomorrow”, Tooru pointed out as he managed to finally shrug the sleeves of his jacket over his own outfit, tugging them down to hide the bits of fabric that peeked out by his wrists. It really wouldn’t have been so bad, he thought, if it weren’t for the neon.

As he smoothed his jacket, he found himself looking up and back toward the dining area. He had really been hoping to say goodbye to Iwaizumi, too; but the last time Tooru had seen him, he had been deep in conversation with a large family at a table at the back. Oh, well. Tooru would surely see him tomorrow, anyway. Like Hanamaki and Matsukawa- and Tooru himself- he seemed to always be there.

“Yeah, but you’re leaving tonight”, Matsukawa interrupted his thoughts. “Who will entertain the girls from table fifteen? They’ll be heartbroken.”

Tooru began to laugh as Hanamaki winked at him; “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of them for you.”

They didn’t bother keeping their voices down: The main dining area was separated from the bar and entrance lobby, for one. In addition, since the restaurant was part of a hotel complex, they so rarely had local customers or anyone who could understand them. Over the past several months that he had been working there, Tooru had mentally divided their customers into three categories: Obnoxious English speakers that talked too loud; other internationals who shakily mumbled their way through ordering in whatever little English or Japanese that they knew; and the occasional polite group who, whatever language they were ordering in, seemed normal and tipped well. They had thus only been caught out in their conversations once or twice in the past.

With a final cheery wave to his co-workers, Tooru braced himself and stepped outside. The cold and drizzle hit him all in a rush and he winced, shuddering. The sooner he made it home the better.

He had only taken several steps down the path that led to the road when he paused, remembering that he had brought his scarf with him. He must have missed it when he grabbed his coat.

Tooru pivoted on his heel to go back inside, only to halt in surprise when he saw Iwaizumi, the door propped open by his shoulder and Tooru’s scarf in his outstretched hands. He grinned when he met Tooru’s gaze.

“You forgot it. For a moment I thought I was going to have to go chasing after you.”

“Oh. No, I hadn’t left just yet.” Tooru walked back to take it, letting the soft material run through his fingers as he looped it once over his neck. “Thanks.”

Iwaizumi merely nodded, his eyebrows drawing in close together as his gaze drifted over Tooru’s shoulder. “Take care on the way home, it’s cold out. If you get sick, I won’t be happy with you. I’ve covered like five of your shifts in the last few weeks and you owe me.”

Tooru rolled his eyes at that. The most annoying thing about Iwaizumi was his constant nagging. Still, he sighed and replied; “Sure thing, Iwa-chan, name a day and a time.”

The grin returned to Iwaizumi’s face. “How about you cover my Saturday night shift?”

Pretending to think, Tooru tapped his chin with one finger. “Hmm, nah.” He froze, blinking. “Actually, I can’t, I’m on then as well.”

“Well, that just makes it worse than I already thought.”

“I think Makki is in then too”, he continued musingly. “Don’t worry, we will do our best to alleviate our dear Iwaizumi’s suffering.”

“No, me and Makki will just make fun of you. That always helps with the boredom.”

Tooru stuck his tongue out. “You’re just jealous of all the tips I make.”

Iwaizumi opened his mouth to respond, but Matsukawa called from inside; “Iwaizumi! You’re needed!”, and he gave Tooru a stiff nod before turning back into the warmth.

Tooru stood still for a moment, watching him retreat, but all too quickly the cold came rushing back to him, and he became aware of the increasingly numb ache in his extremities. His ears felt sore already, and his fingers rigid. He doubled his scarf over and drew it tighter against his face.

A glance at his watch reminded him once again of the time: It was already nearly twenty minutes after he told Tobio that he would be back.

Gritting his teeth, Tooru hurried through the streets toward home.

As soon as he saw his brother sitting in the kitchen, Tooru knew that he had had a bad day. There were always several tells with him. He hadn’t eaten yet, from what Tooru could see, not even an attempt to make food. He hadn’t been outside, either: No mud was tracked in from their small garden. His hands were clasped loosely in his lap, and he was seated not on the chair he usually sat at, the one closest to the stove so that he could feel the heat coming from it, but the chair at the head of the table.

Tooru was never sure how to proceed when Tobio was like this. Sometimes, it seemed as though he were imagining things: Tobio would be quiet and slightly off but would eat when Tooru gave him food and then retreat to his room at night as usual. Other times, any word that Tooru spoke seemed to come across as a challenge to him, and Tobio would start a fight. Well, Tooru corrected himself, it wasn’t entirely Tobio’s fault all the time.

He decided the best course of action was to act as normal. Perhaps it would be a good night, and Tobio would simply go along with his suggestions and then they could be done with that long day and Tooru could finally sit down and rest his sore knees.

“Hey, bro”, he greeted cheerfully, fighting to keep the exhaustion from his voice. “Haven’t eaten? That’s fine. I was thinking of maybe ordering a pizza. You want some?”

A small twinge of guilt tugged at his intestines. They couldn’t often afford take-out with their budget, and on the occasion that they did get it Tooru worried about the dent it would put in their account, and he’d already had to buy Tobio two new pairs of shoes this month because he just went through them so fast.

One meal would be fine, he told himself as he flitted about the kitchen, tidying things that weren’t there. Just to help cheer up Tobio. And, in all honesty, he didn’t feel like cooking at all.

Glancing over his shoulder, he saw Tobio shrug.

Tooru went to turn back to the glass that he was now rinsing in the sink, only his eyes zeroed in on something he had missed when he first came home: Tobio’s blazer was ripped at the shoulder.

“Have you been fighting again?”, he asked, carefully setting the glass down and the draining board and drying his hands.

Tobio puffed his cheeks up and looked away. Tooru took that as an affirmative.

“Tobio…” He put his hands on his hips. Really, what was he going to do with his brother? Tobio still didn’t meet his eyes as he continued. “Look, I know it’s been tough, but the worst thing you can do is shut yourself off from everyone and get yourself into trouble. If you’re feeling angry and upset, there are other ways to deal with it. You haven’t fallen out with your friends again, have you?”

That got a reaction. Tobio’s head jerked in his direction, dark curtains of hair falling messily across his forehead.

Under his breath, so that Tobio had to strain to hear, Tobio muttered; “Nobody in my class is my friend. They’re all stupid.”

Tooru considered that as he leaned back against the kitchen counters. “Well, what about your friends that used to come over and play? Akira and Yuutarou?”

“They haven’t been around in ages”, Tobio scoffed, as though it should have been obvious. “And I hate them both.”

He wasn't giving much away. Trying to prompt his brother into further conversation, Tooru asked; “Why? What happened?”

Tobio’s scowl deepened. “I already told you what happened, ages ago. Are you dumb?”

“Tobio, don’t speak to me like that.” Tooru frowned. “I just didn’t realize that you meant it was the same falling out you had before; I thought you would have made up by now.”

“We haven’t. And I’ll speak to you how I want.” The boy pushed away from the table with the loud scraping sound of a chair against tiled flooring.

“Hey!” Tooru straightened up. “Where are you going?”

Tobio didn’t look around as he walked through the door and out into the hall. “To bed. I don’t want to talk to you.”

“You need to eat first.”

“Not hungry.”

Tooru followed his brother out to the stairs. He could feel his pulse beginning to jump in his throat, aware of where this was heading. How were you supposed to argue with a sulky twelve-year-old? “I don’t care, you still need to eat.”

Tobio froze, his hand on the railings, and glared back over his shoulder. The overhead lights reflected back in his eyes like tiny chips of ice. “Stop acting like you’re in charge.”

“I am in charge here.” Tobio began storming up the stairs, deliberately loudly, and Tooru chased after him. “And you’re lucky it’s me because anybody else would have thrown you out, you ungrateful shit!”

“Throw me out then!” He went into his room and slammed the door with a resounding thud, right in Tooru’s face.

Tooru’s hands were trembling, and he swallowed. Could Tobio not see how unreasonable he was being? Was he just being awkward to spite him? In the past he would have thought so- when they were younger they had fought all the time- but now Tooru was older, and so he attempted to have a little perspective on the situation. Maybe Tobio was being bullied, or made fun of? Should he perhaps check with one of his teachers? Or wait until Tobio had calmed down and talk to him?

He made his way back downstairs, into the kitchen, and rested his head in his hands. There was no world in which he was prepared to deal with all of this. He had been trying so hard for Tobio, had been proud of the brave face his brother had put on initially, but now that brave face had turned stony cold and frozen him out.

Tooru missed playing volleyball. He missed hanging out with his friends. He missed drinking and going on dates and staying out until he was ready to come home. He missed not being responsible for a child.

His eyes opened and darted toward the seat Tobio had vacated: Their grandfather’s spot. It was still tilted away from the table, the worn wood glowing dimly under the weak light washing in through the window. If their grandfather was still there, he would have known what to say to Tobio. He always knew somehow. Tooru’s gaze drifted toward the pinboard of family photos, by the fridge, that their grandfather had set up shortly after they lost their parents. His vision blurred so that their faces became little more than indistinguishable blobs. They had always known what to say to Tobio, and to Tooru, too.

Tooru ended up ordering a pizza and eating half of it alone at the kitchen table, shivering slightly against the cold. And, because he liked to think that he wasn’t the worst big brother in the world, he grabbed the box to take the other half upstairs to Tobio.

Almost silently he tiptoed up the stairs. Tobio may have fallen asleep, after all. He did that a lot, even when he said he was going to his room to do homework and study. Just in case, Tooru paused outside his bedroom door, listening.

There was a soft murmur and he pressed his ear almost to the door, straining to listen.

Tobio was speaking.

“… even though I hate him, I sort of miss having him around.” There was a pause and a shuddering inhalation of breath before he continued; “If anyone out there is really listening, please send me a friend. Someone that will stay. Just one.”

Then there came the sounds of creaking floorboards as Tobio got up- from by his window, it sounded like- and walked across the room.

Tooru drew in a sharp breath at the sudden pain in his chest. His brother was hurting, and he didn't know if there was anything he could do to stop it.

Softly, he knocked on the door.

No response. 

He licked his dry lips and swallowed before calling; “I got pizza. If you want it.”  
  


There was still no sign of life, but after a few seconds of silence there came the shuffling of more footsteps, and then the door creaked open and a hand appeared, small fingers extending and closing in a grabbing motion. 

Tooru placed the box in Tobio’s hand, and then it was withdrawn, tilting sideways to get it in through the gap.

The door slammed closed.

Tooru stood there for a moment longer, processing what had just happened, and then the ache vanished.

“Hey!”, he cried through the door, knowing that he wouldn’t receive a response. “You could at least say thank you!”


	5. Chapter 5

Tobio kept his hands in his pockets and his shoulders hunched the whole walk home. He was glad that day was over, at least. Even practice had been hardly enjoyable today: They had been split into two teams, and Tsukishima’s constant sneering at him from the other side of the net had grated away at him until his nerves felt frayed.

Still, at least he hadn’t openly taunted Tobio today. Tobio hoped that meant that Tsukishima had learned his lesson from their fight the other day, but then that was a slim hope. Admittedly, it had been Tobio who started that fight, but it had been deserved. When Yamaguchi hadn’t been able to get the ball over the net in their practice game, Tobio had only meant to tell him the truth. He shouldn’t even be playing if he couldn’t do something that simple. He didn’t get why their coach had gotten mad at him for pointing it out, either.

Even worse, Kindaichi and Kunimi had been on his team, and the two of them had clearly been dragging their heels and not putting all of their efforts in. Not for the first time at all, Tobio thought that he was the only one taking any of this seriously.

Thanks to practice- and being asked by coach to clean up afterward- he was home later than usual. When he opened the front door, he half-expected Tooru to greet him; but, of course, he wasn’t home yet. The lights were all off, the house empty.

Marching straight through to the kitchen, flipping light switches as he went, Tobio decided to have some of the leftovers from the meal he had made a week or so before. Tooru could make his own food. He pulled the container from the freezer and set the microwave to defrost.

Since it would take a while, he opened the door to the backyard, planning to do some light practicing before heading back in.

And stopped, blinking, in the doorway.

There was a boy in their tree.

Tobio blinked, unsure whether he was imagining it.

But the boy was still there: He hung upside down, skinny legs hooked over a thick branch. He wore some kind of black jumpsuit that clung to his slender frame. His oddly bright orange hair made Tobio think he might be a foreigner, although he couldn’t quite determine his ethnicity: He looked sort of Japanese, but also sort of like what Tobio imagined a mixture of people from all over would look like. There was a weird translucent- a word Tobio had just learnt in school, although he wasn't quite sure on the spelling- look to his face. 

Wherever the boy was from, he was still there, and he was in their tree.

“Hey!”, Tobio yelped. “What are you doing there?! That’s my tree!”

Wide brown eyes stared at Tobio.

He was unnaturally still. For a moment Tobio wondered whether it was actually some kind of mannequin that someone had thrown; but no, it was too lifelike to be a mannequin.

“Hey, did you hear me?”

The boy parted his lips slightly, and muttered, so quietly that Tobio strained to hear him; “Your… Tree?” He looked down- or up- almost dazed, frowning as though unsure of how he got there.

How long had he been upside-down like that? Was the blood rushing to his head? Tobio didn’t really care in the slightest.

“Well, my family’s tree”, he amended, before snapping; “The point is, you can’t be in it, idiot!” He huffed some more when the boy continued to merely stare blankly at him. “How did you even get up there?”

“My ship is right over there.”

“Your what?” The boy didn’t clarify. “Just- get down!”

He still gave no indication of moving or trying to climb down. Warily, Tobio moved to go back inside of the kitchen, keeping an eye on the stranger as he backed away.

What should he do? He couldn’t call the police: Even he knew that would be ridiculous, and this kid looked about his age, maybe a year or two younger. Maybe he should call Tooru, or Iwaizumi. Or an ambulance. There was clearly something wrong with this boy’s head.

He was standing by the kitchen table, contemplating when the microwave began to emit a high-pitched beeping noise. He had nearly forgotten.

Tobio walked over to it, glancing at the boy through the kitchen window as he did so. He hadn’t moved yet.

With the press of one finger against the button, the door of the microwave sprung open and the beeping stopped.

Tobio was just peering in to see whether his food had completely thawed when a flash of orange made him jump.

The boy was standing right by his arm, also peering curiously at the microwave.

“What- how-” Tobio shook his head. He was sure that he had been in the tree just a moment ago. Why hadn’t he closed the kitchen door behind him? “You can’t be in here!”

“But I am?” The strange kid tilted his head, face earnest, and Tobio realized up-close how small he was. He wasn’t just short, the top of his head only reaching Tobio’s shoulder; he was minuscule. Tobio wasn’t exactly muscular himself, but this boy’s wrists were so thin Tobio was afraid they might snap. His proportions, in general, were a little… Off.

Tobio shook his head. This boy couldn’t be here, especially not when Tooru came home.

“No, you moron, I mean you can’t come in!”, he snapped. “Get out!”

“Why? It’s cold out there?” The intruder shuddered. “I’m not used to the temperature here yet.”

“Just- just! Get back in the tree!”

Completely ignoring him, the boy had turned to the table; and, more specifically, a lamp in the shape of a ball. It had sat there for years: He thought maybe it had been a birthday gift for Tooru one year.

“Ooh, what’s this?”, he asked, rolling it between his hands.

“Put that down! Now!”, Tobio roared.

Wincing at Tobio suddenly raising his volume, the boy threw his hands into the air. And sent the ball flying across the table, shooting to the other side of the room and hitting the wall by the fridge.

Cursing, Tobio dashed across to the cupboard where they kept their dustpan and began sweeping the glass fragments. Tooru had never had any particular sentimental attachment to that lamp, as far as he was aware, but he was still bound to be furious. And of course Tobio would be the one getting in trouble. 

He was just sweeping the last of it into the trash when a beeping noise over his shoulder had him pivoting on his heels.

The boy was fiddling with the microwave, pushing random buttons. As Tobio watched, the machine roared to life, and his heart caught in his throat. His food was still in there.

“Don’t touch that!” The stranger froze as Tobio brandished the brush at him. “Just- don’t touch anything in here. You’ll break something else.”

He moved forward swiftly, reaching one arm past the boy to hit the stop button. The boy stared up at him, and then a fleeting look of guilt crossed his face.

Tobio let out a sigh. He had no clue who this was, or how or why he was there, but he clearly couldn’t leave him unattended. Who knew what kind of havoc the idiot would cause?

Sighing, he said; “Come through here.” He led the boy into the front room and positioned him in front of the couch, pressing on his shoulders until he sat down. He was met with no resistance, just the same wide-eyed stare. “Sit here. I’ll put the TV on.”

A blank look was the only reply he got. This was even worse than being in school, Tobio decided. The kid was absolutely gormless.

Tobio prompted him further; “If I put the TV on, promise not to touch anything?”

The boy tilted his head again, seeming to think it over. Just when Tobio thought he might not get a reply, he said; “… Okay.”

He switched the TV on. Some romantic drama was running. Tobio hesitated before he pressed the remote onto the cushion beside the shorter boy.

Something had changed in the boy’s eyes, and it gave him pause. They seemed impossibly wide, his dark irises impossibly deep. He stated back at Tobio with his head tilted to one side. 

“This place is so interesting”, the boy whispered to him.

Tobio looked around. It seemed like a normal house to him. He wondered once more which psychiatric ward this boy had crawled out from. “Okay.”

He backed away, toward the kitchen, careful to keep his gaze on the boy. He didn’t want to be followed again. 

However, the boy remained on the couch and continued to stare at the screen. After a few seconds, he cleared his throat, glanced over at Tobio, and said; “Hello. I’m Hinata.”

Tobio frowned, pausing just as he reached the doorway. “Just Hinata?”

“Should it be longer? That’s all mom used to call me.”

Clearly a crazy person.

“Right. I’m Kageyama.”

The boy gave a small hum of acknowledgment, eyes trailing back toward the TV. Tobio decided it was safe to leave him and go back to finish cooking his dinner.

He wondered what he was going to tell Tooru. Well, he decided, whatever this weird boy did, it was going to be Tooru’s fault for not being home on time.


	6. Chapter 6

It had been a fairly easy voyage to Earth, all things considered. As ever, parking seemed to be the most difficult part of the journey.

Daichi had hovered over the location that they had sent him for several minutes until he eventually found a safe spot in what seemed to be a clearing. He hadn’t seen any signs of a crash: Perhaps the abomination had managed to actually land the stolen ship somewhere. It wouldn’t be a surprise at this point to add another feat to its tally.

As soon as they were safely on the ground, he shut the engine down, double-checked that all of the settings on the craft were correct to avoid detection and that he had all of the necessary documentation for visiting an uncontacted civilization in the unlikely event of questioning, and pocketed the key. For just a moment, he stared out of the window. There were trees everywhere, only not as he knew them. These ones were of all different heights and sizes, and the bark appeared incredibly rough and wrinkled.

Finally, he looked over at Sugawara.

The convict had spent the whole flight sitting silently with his handcuffs on and head hanging down. It made Daichi somewhat anxious: Was he plotting something? Surely, he knew it would be of no use. Or maybe there was something wrong with him?

“Hey.” When Daichi received no response, he stepped closer. “I’m going to remove your cuffs now, okay? Don’t try anything.” There was still no answer.

Daichi hesitated before he took another step. He knew that, theoretically, if it did come down to an actual fight that he could defeat Sugawara. Sugawara’s species weren’t known for their physical abilities, more their intellect and their strange emotional control. But Sugawara was smart. It would be unwise for Daichi to let his guard down around him.

Again, the image of Sugawara’s tearful face as he pleaded on his knees with his hands bound for Daichi not to do this, not to take his son, flooded his mind. The overwhelming emotions that had hit Daichi quick as a lightning bolt, the fear and guilt and panic. He had had to fight against it- hard- as he read Sugawara the charges that he was facing, and asked him whether there were any surprises that they needed to be aware of in the building before they fully explored it. It had made it difficult to concentrate on anything that day, until Sugawara was safely enclosed in a cell, back at the Hub. That second-hand trauma still sat with him, though, was something he still wondered about at night when he was alone. If it weren’t for the fact that Sugawara was a criminal, Daichi would almost feel sorry for him.

He shuffled closer, reaching to undo Sugawara’s cuffs. The convict was breathing silently, his silvery threads of hair hanging down. His eyes were closed, eyelashes skimming his cheeks.

Just as Daichi touched the icy-cold material, Sugawara jerked upright.

His brown eyes flew open, and Daichi leaped back a step when they fell on him. “Ah?”

“Wha-” Daichi stopped and cleared his throat, incredulous. “Were you sleeping this whole way?”

“Sorry, I was tired.” Sugawara made a show of stretching his hands in front of him, wincing slightly as the restraints pulled. He smiled. “Are you uncuffing me now?”

“Yes. It would look strange if we were walking around with you handcuffed to me.” Taking a slight breath and pursing his lips, Daichi once more stepped in. “You know what not to do, I trust.”

Still smiling, Sugawara held his hands out in front of him, away from his body. “I’m not going anywhere. Where would I go?”

Daichi eyed him for a minute before squatting down. He pressed three fingers to the spot on the handcuffs that had been programmed to recognize his prints. Almost immediately, they recoiled, the material snapping back and doubling in on itself. Sugawara made a show of rubbing his wrists, the amusement clear in his gaze. Daichi half-turned away, gesturing to the door.

He made Sugawara walk ahead of him as the ship door descended to allow their exit. And then, within just a few seconds, they were on solid ground.

Taking a moment to steady himself with one hand on the side of the ship, Daichi stared about at the trees. It wasn’t just them: There were all sorts of plant-life dotted about the clearing where they had landed. On his home planet, they had a lot of vegetation also, but most of it was part of the same several varieties. Here, even in this one spot, there seemed to be dozens of flowers and shrubs of all different shapes and colors. The carpet under his feet- grass, they’d used it for decoration in the gardens back home- felt strange. Spongy. Still, even with that, there was an odd acrid taste to the air that made Daichi scrunch up his nose and want to spit.

Sugawara was stood in the center of the clearing. He stared up at the sky, which was a startling pale blue color, his hands held out to either side. As he twirled this way and that, a shimmer of light danced about him, appearing to cascade down from his hair. Daichi was going to have to warn him about that.

But for now, he simply watched.

“It’s overwhelming, isn’t it?”, Sugawara laughed, spinning so that his large brown eyes could bore into him. “I’ve learned so much about Earth! Such a diverse habitat! I’ve even studied several of the native languages. Did you know, they don’t have a common tongue here? It’s like that other planet, in Galaxy LR-15. Do you know the one I’m talking about?”

He stood, waiting for an answer with an earnest expression, and Daichi felt curiosity prickling under his skin. He didn’t know which planet Sugawara was speaking of; there were several, as far as he could remember, that had no common tongue, but Earth was quite unique in that most of its landmasses were also separated by water. It was one of the more biologically diverse planets.

Was Sugawara trying to distract him so he could slip away?

“We need to blend in”, Daichi said. He glanced up. “Can you do something about your hair?”

Sugawara blinked at him, and the curiosity turned to surprise. “My hair?”

“It isn’t a common color on Earth.”

“How do you know?”, the criminal asked. “Have you been to Earth before?”

Daichi admitted; “No. But I know some stuff about humans.”

“You look like them.” Sugawara hummed and took a step closer. Daichi resisted the urge to move away.

“That’s why they sent me.” They needed to get going soon. “Can you do something about that?”

Sugawara’s smile faltered. “What?”

“You need to look human, too.”

“Oh. Yeah, they gave me something for that. I think they said it’s on the ship.”

“Gave you something?” Had somebody slipped something to Sugawara? Unconsciously, Daichi’s hand drifted down toward his blaster, tucked in the back of his suit.

Sugawara’s pupils followed the movement, and he stilled. “It’s not- It’s just makeup. To cover these.” Haltingly, he raised one hand to his face, and Daichi watched as he used one finger to prod at the silvery glowing marks on his cheeks.

“Right.” Clearing his throat, Daichi indicated back toward the ship. “Put it on and we’ll go and get something to wear.”

“To wear?”

“The first part of being undercover is blending in. We need to go to a local store. We don’t know how long it will take us to find the creature: It could be a few hours, or a few days.” He sincerely hoped it was on the shorter end of the spectrum.

When Sugawara went back onto the ship, Daichi hesitated before following him up, although he hovered at the entrance, keeping just one eye on him to make sure he didn’t try to get away: Although, as Sugawara had noted himself, that would be foolish. There was nowhere for him to go. There was a ship- some of Ushijima’s crew- dipping in and out, just outside the atmosphere. Ready to swoop in, just in case.

“All done!”, Sugawara announced, a moment later, and Daichi peered at him. He certainly looked more… Normal, now. He still shimmered slightly, although it seemed largely confined to his hair. They would have to find a hat, he decided.

“Come on.”

Daichi marched through the forest, prompting Sugawara ahead of him. They made their way out of the forest, pausing at the row of houses they arrived at to ensure that nobody was looking at them. It didn’t seem as though anyone was around.

He hoped nobody would be close by, and that their garments wouldn’t draw too much attention: Usually for missions they were given outfits beforehand if they were meant to be undercover. But this was a last-minute sort of deal. Earth wasn’t somewhere they were normally sent, and they didn’t have anything lying around on the Hub besides a couple of Earth dresses that the costume department had said may make Daichi stand out even more if he wore them.

Together they wandered the streets until they reached what appeared to be a busy commercial area. Daichi needn't have worried so much about Sugawara's hair: The people on Earth seemed to have all different colored locks, a far greater variety than his home colony.

The store had bright lights, much brighter than those on the ship. They refracted again and again, red-green-blue, in Daichi’s vision. He blinked his eyes several times before they began to adjust and reform into a single image. It didn’t seem to be affecting Sugawara: He moved forward confidently, peering back and forth along the rows and rows of clothing.

Marching past him, Daichi made his way up and down the expanse of the shop, grabbing several items of clothing that looked as though they would fit. Most of those that he chose were similar to the mannequins ranging the store, or similar to what the other men there wore. That way, at least, he shouldn’t stand out too much.

He held each one up, in turn, to make sure that they were roughly the right sizes: A black sweater, a gray shirt, a navy jacket, a few pairs of the rough blue pants that appeared to be popular. On one of the racks was a soft silvery sweater that he thought complemented Sugawara’s hair. He stared at it for a moment before turning away, moving on to instead hold up a green shirt with, bizarrely, no sleeves. Daichi regarded it for a few seconds before throwing it over his arm with the others.

He glanced up.

Sugawara was watching him, leaning one arm on the railing.

“You need to get something too”, Daichi reminded.

“Oh.” He looked about, as though suddenly wary of his surroundings. His shoulders hunched slightly.

With a sigh, Daichi reached out and prodded at his arm with his knuckles. “Come on. I’ll help.” He directed Sugawara over to a nearby stand, smiling when he caught a man looking in their direction so that the act would come off as affectionate rather than suspicious.

Leaning in, he whispered; “Just pick something that seems normal. Like what he’s wearing.” He jerked his head at the man.

Meeting his gaze, Sugawara gave a sharp nod, face serious. Only, when he turned back to the display, his eyes once again took on a hazy quality.

“I’m really not sure. I don’t want to pick wrong.” He raised an eyebrow at Daichi. “Can’t we just buy a bunch of stuff and then we’ll split it up when we get back to the ship?”

“Fine.” Daichi grabbed a few more shirts, some plain and some patterned, this time taking them in a smaller size so as to fit Sugawara better. They may have been a little tight if he tried to wear them, but not overly so: The size difference between them was noticeable, yet not extremely so.

He hesitated before going back to grab the gray sweater, and then they headed in the direction of the counter, weaving about other shoppers who were, thankfully, largely preoccupied with the clothes.

When they reached the counter, Daichi kept his head down.

Sugawara clearly did not have the same concerns that he did.

“It must be so nice to work here”, he enthused, as the cashier folded their garments and placed them into a bag. “You are truly lucky. Earth is such a wonderful place!”

The cashier gave them a smile that seemed rather bemused, rapidly bordering on bewildered. Daichi tried shooting a look at Sugawara.

He continued on regardless: “And there are so many incredible native species here! Have you ever seen the chorioactis geaster?”

She was still staring at Sugawara with confusion written on her face but, as Daichi watched, a smile spread over it. Daichi felt a wave of tranquillity and joy wash over him.

As swiftly as he could, he produced the necessary money and handed it over, gave a hurried nod, and then gripped Sugawara’s arm in one hand and the bag of clothes in the other.

“Stop it with the emotional manipulation”, he snapped.

“Sorry, sorry, I’ll stop now.”

Daichi steered them toward a glass-fronted building that had images of food and drinks plastered to a building outside. Thankfully, his translator seemed to be in full working order, and he was swiftly able to order a caffeinated drink. The usefulness that would have had in helping them blend in, however, was negated by the fact that Sugawara stood for several minutes, holding up the line as he debated which drink he wanted to try. After much deliberation, he decided, and their drinks were presented to them in open-topped cups. Weird.

Once they had finally taken a seat in the corner away from the window, Sugawara took a sip from his. He made a face. “Can I get something else?”

Daichi merely glared at him. After all of that...

“Oh. Sorry.”

A pang of guilt struck Daichi in the chest, and his glare softened minutely before intensifying. “I thought I said to stop doing that!”

Sugawara’s lips tilted up in an amused smirk. When Daichi didn’t react, he sighed and placed his hands on the table in front of them, palms flat.

“So why are we here?”

Daichi shuffled in his seat. “We need to come up with a plan to capture that creature.”

“That creature being my son.” He made a face, but Daichi didn’t notice any tugging at his emotions this time. That was a start, at least. He was going to need Sugawara to at least cooperate on this mission.

Evenly, he replied; “If that’s what you want to call it. Do you know where it could be? Apparently, it landed not far from here.”

Sugawara stared at his hands for a long time. “I don’t know. But Hinata- He isn’t very good at hiding. And he’s drawn to noise, to where others are. He… He doesn’t like being alone. I doubt it’ll be long before we find him. I think we just need to keep our eyes open and listen out for anything strange going on.”

Daichi nodded. That sounded like a plan. For now, at least.

“If, after a couple of days, we’ve heard nothing, we’ll have to think of something else”, he said.

He thought: They would possibly have to try and locate its ship, as well. Although Washijou had said, just before Daichi left, that Ushijima’s team were going to be scanning from above to get a clearer idea of its location. It was likely that they would be recovering it themselves.

“Okay.” Sugawara tilted his head, and Daichi noticed a faint glimmer of light about his head as he did so. He hoped Sugawara had a lot of that makeup left. “Where will we be staying until then? A hotel?”

What? “We’ll be staying on the ship.”

“Oh.” Sugawara seemed slightly disappointed. “Alright.”

“Is there a problem with that?”

The criminal took another sip of his drink, made another face, and set it down. Daichi was tempted to snatch it and throw it away. “Not at all. I’m just thinking, what if someone sees us going in and out of the forest and gets suspicious? And we’ll be a bit far from where we need to be. Maybe we need a base that’s actually inside of the town.”

“No. We will stay on the ship.”

Sugawara sighed, as though aware he had lost the argument.

“You’re a tough nut to crack, Sawamura”, he said.

Daichi didn’t feel the need to answer. Instead, he drummed his fingers against the table. He had the feeling, as he had privately feared before, that this mission wasn't exactly going to be straightforward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chorioactis geaster, or the devil's cigar, is a rare mushroom that is only known to be found in Texas and Japan.
> 
> Also, I wrote this late last night and, when I was writing about Suga and his shimmering hair, all I could think of was the star-lady from Stardust. So, if you're trying to picture him glowing, that's sort of how I imagined it lol


	7. Chapter 7

The sound of low voices coming from the living room when he came home was something Tooru hadn’t experienced in a long time, and it gave him pause at the door.

He had expected to arrive at a silent house; to make his way upstairs and make a forlorn apology to Tobio, promising him that he may be his brother rather than his friend, but that Tobio would never be alone while Tooru was there. The speech he had planned shrivelled up and withered away at the voices, and the tantalizing smell of whatever food Tobio had decided to cook. Clearly, he wasn't too upset about what had happened yesterday.

Slowly, he removed his keys, pushed the front door closed, and then stepped down the hall, peering around the door to find the source of the noise.

Tobio was sitting on the couch, an empty bowl on his lap. The TV was on, and for a moment Tooru thought that maybe that was all he had heard.

And then he caught sight of the strange boy sitting on the other end of the couch from his brother, hands clasped between his knees, staring straight ahead at the screen unblinkingly. He was short, with bright orange hair that Tooru thought he would have remembered had he seen him around before.

Tooru stared for a moment before blinking, smiling, and retreating silently to hang his jacket up.

He wasn’t sure whether to feel more relieved or annoyed: Relieved that Tobio had made a friend, annoyed that he hadn’t asked before inviting him over.

Relief won out in the end. This was just what Tobio needed, what Tooru had hoped for. It may have been better for Tobio to make amends with his old friends, but then again it could have been the best-case scenario for Tobio to meet someone new. Perhaps the boy was a new student and didn’t know what Tobio was like yet, or was from one of the other classes.

Whatever the case, Tooru was determined that his brother was not going to mess this up.

Grinning, he stepped back into the living room, clearing his throat to announce his presence. Two pairs of eyes swiveled to look up at him. He watched with amusement as Tobio looked him up and down, taking in his outfit of the evening, and then his face morphed into a horrified expression.

“Hi there”, Tooru announced, waving one hand. “I’m Tooru, I’m Tobio’s older brother. It’s nice to meet you.”

Tobio’s horrified expression did not waver, but after a moment the other boy’s face broke into a small smile.

Tooru’s gaze drifted between the two of them and something occurred to him. “Did you eat and not make anything for your guest? Rude, Tobio!” He turned to the boy. “Do you want anything to eat?”

“I… am a bit hungry”, the boy murmured, the smile on his face turning sheepish.

“I’ll have a look and see what we have in the kitchen. I still need to eat, too.” Tooru threw one last disbelieving glare at Tobio before making his way in the direction of the fridge.

It was only when he got there that he realized Tobio had followed him and was standing just by his elbow.

Really, how did he ever expect to make any friends if he invited them over, ate in front of them, and then abandoned them to watch TV alone?

Tobio muttered something from the side of his mouth.

“What?”, Tooru hummed, pulling the fridge open. It was dishearteningly bare. “Tobio, you know I can’t hear you when you mumble.”

“I said”, Tobio hissed, yanking at the sleeve of Tooru’s silky robe. “He was in our garden. He won’t leave.”

Frowning, Tooru turned to look at his brother. What on Earth did he mean?

Glancing about, Tobio whispered; “I don’t think he’s from around here.”

Something winked into view over his shoulder, and when Tooru looked up he saw that Tobio’s friend was hovering in the doorway, watching them. He probably felt awkward at being abandoned in a strange house. Tooru could relate to that: The first time he had gone to Hanamaki’s place, Hanamaki had left him alone for two minutes to use the bathroom and his little sister had abducted Tooru, dragging him into her room to use him as a lab rat in one of her experiments with makeup.

“Where do you live, kid?”, he asked, and Tobio jumped, spinning about with a choked noise. Tooru nearly laughed: As big of a front as his brother sometimes put on, he was quite easily scared.

The boy shrugged. “I don’t have a home. Can I stay here?”

Tooru laughed. The kid was clearly quite outgoing. He liked it. “I’ll think about it.” The boy was already wearing his pajamas, some plain black onesie- much tighter than a kigurumi- he noted, which was a little presumptuous. Tobio must have told him he could stay.

Shaking his head, he patted Tobio’s shoulder with one hand. He’d always been a bit of a weird one, and his friends too. Tooru could recall the Summer when Akira made up a whole story about Tobio saving him from the clutches of an evil demon- Yuutarou- and how, for a whole week, Yuutarou and Tobio chased each other about the garden, pelting each other with volleyballs, while Akira remained ‘tied’ to the tree.

Tobio stared at him for a long moment before heading back toward the living room, mumbling under his breath. Tooru didn’t call him out on it: He didn’t want to embarrass his brother any more than he would inevitably embarrass himself. The boy watched Tooru for a second before also pivoting and following Tobio.

Tooru’s original idea for dinner had been heating up a microwave meal, but with the kid there he decided it was time to go all out. He found some meatballs in the freezer and decided to whip something up with the noodles that he knew they had lying about in the cupboard somewhere and the few fresh vegetables in the fridge. Semi-Italian style. Although Tooru didn’t get the chance to cook very often, and Tobio certainly did not appreciate his concoctions, he did really enjoy being in control of the whole process and seeing the results of the effort he had put in.

When the time came to eat, he called out that food was ready, and the boy came skittering in like a baby deer, Tobio trailing on his heels with a mopey expression. Tooru bit back his criticism and focused on charming this new friend.

The boy, he discovered, was named Hinata. ‘Just Hinata’, apparently. Tooru watched as ‘Just Hinata’ prodded suspiciously at his plate of spaghetti, trying not to be offended.

Eventually, he sucked a noodle down. Tobio stared at him, face full of awe, and Tooru wondered how they met. Did this boy play volleyball, too? It was the only way he could imagine Tobio making another friend. He did have the build of a libero: Small, and quick. Perhaps he was a part of a team that Tobip had played against from another school.

Hinata didn’t seem to like the noodles much. He slurped up a few more strands, squirming in his seat, before reaching- with his hand- for a meatball. How... Unorthodox.

Almost immediately upon taking a bite, he brightened up. “Ooh! This is so good! What is it?”

Tobio sighed. “It’s a meatball, moron.”

“Tobio.” Tooru grit his teeth as he cut into his own meal. As weird as this boy was, he was still a guest.

“I like meatballs”, Hinata announced and proceeded to dig into the rest of the food, as though that revelation made it more palatable.

Tooru glanced down at his phone, idly swirling some noodles while he replied to messages- from his co-workers, since they were just about the only people he spoke to with any regularity- and ignoring the emails from Kiyoko, their caseworker from the social care people. He would reply to her in the morning, he swore.

When he looked up, Hinata’s plate was empty. He really must have been hungry, Tooru supposed.

He noticed that Tobio was now openly gawping at his friend, his mouth hanging open.

Finishing up with his own food, Tooru told the boys they were free to go back to watching the TV. He gathered up the dishes and washed them, humming to himself. It was sort of nice to have somebody else in the house. Even if they didn’t thank him for the food.

As soon as he was done, he sneaked across to watch them. There was something he still needed to do, and it would have been easier if Tobio hadn’t brought a friend home.

A volleyball game was playing on the TV, the same as any other night after dinner. Two heads, one black-haired, one ginger, tilted at identical angles a few feet apart. It was adorable, really.

Softly, he called; “Tobio.”

Tobio turned to him, leaped to his feet, and scrambled out into the corridor. He pulled the door ajar behind him.

Taking a deep breath, Tooru began; “Tobio. I wanted to apologize for our fight last night. I’m sorry if I made it seem like I don’t want you here. You’re my brother, and I’m doing everything I can to keep you by my side, in our home, okay? It’s just… Hard sometimes.”

“It’s okay.” Tobio didn’t seem the slightest bit emotional, and Tooru felt a brief wave of annoyance washing over him, but he swallowed it down, reminding himself that was just the way Tobio was. For all Tooru could imagine his dramatic scenes, Tobio would always find a way to quash them.

“I’m happy you brought a classmate round. He can stay over. He’s already dressed for it, it seems.” The all-in-one the boy wore a boring plain black, and it looked a little small on him even, but Tooru had no right to judge with the outfit he was sporting. “Just let me know next time, alright? That way I can… I don’t know, arrange food or something for you to do. Okay?” Serious parenting bit over and done with, he beamed a smile at his little brother.

“Mm…” Tobio bit his lip, frowning. His eyes were slightly unfocused. “He’s not my classmate.”

Realizing that was about all the reaction he was going to get, Tooru clapped his hands. “Alright. A friend, then. What game are you watching?”

“It’s V-League. The Panthers playing the Sunbirds.”

“Excellent!”

So, Tooru was nosy, forgive him. His brother had brought a friend home after falling out with most of his old friends, and the kid seemed a little odd. He couldn’t think of any Hinata family in the area; not that he knew everybody, but it wasn't a large town and most of the local families were familiar to him. He had no other gossip to sustain his life.

Which was why he followed Tobio into the living room, throwing himself onto the armchair to one side. Their father’s old spot.

“So, Hinata”, he started casually, stretching his arms out above his head in a yawn. “Where do you go to school?”

When he received no answer, Tooru turned to the boy.

Hinata was simply staring at him. “School?”, he mouthed.

“School?”, Tooru repeated. Why was this boy speaking as though he had never heard of the word?

“… School?” Hinata glanced at Tobio, and so did Tooru.

Tobio groaned.

“Where do you do your classes?”, Tooru asked slowly, making sure to enunciate his words. Maybe Hinata was just home-schooled or something.

“Classes?”

He had to be joking, right? This was one of those things kids did when they liked to mess with adults. Tooru was sure he had been guilty of similar things when he was younger.

Still, the earnest look to Hinata’s gaze was unsettling.

Slightly amused, but also slightly worried, Toru asked; “The place you go to learn?”

“Oh.” Hinata blinked, looking down. “My mother already taught me everything I need to know already.”

“Right”, Tooru tried not to sound sarcastic. What was with this kid?

For the first time that evening, his gaze dragged over to his brother and properly took in his body language. He was sitting rigidly, uncomfortable. Tooru had assumed it was the awkwardness of being caught with a friend when Tooru hadn’t said it was okay with them to visit. But then…

What was it Tobio had said? That he had found the boy in the garden? That he wouldn’t leave?

Hinata had looked up once more and was still staring at him. Something was slightly off about his face: His eyes a little too large, unwavering for a child of their age.

Tooru felt his pulse speeding up. Shit. How was he so stupid? What if Tobio hadn’t been joking? His brother went along with dumb jokes sometimes, sure, but he never really started them. So, what if he really had just found a stranger, who had then gotten into their home? To whom Tooru had just fed noodles?!

Over the ring of alarm bells in his mind, Tooru asked; “Where are your things, Hinata?”

“Oh, I didn’t bring anything.” Hinata shrugged, looking back at the TV. “Just the ship.”

“The ship?”

A slightly guilty look passed over his face. “I had to take it. Or they would have destroyed me. It’s outside, in the forest behind your house.”

“Okay.” Tooru caught the panicked look Tobio flashed him now and managed a false smile. “I’m just going to go and see if we have anything for dessert.”

He heard Hinata asking Tobio what dessert was as he stepped out into the hall.

Marching into the kitchen, Tooru pulled out his phone and scrolled to a number he normally dreaded calling. In reality, he should call the police, but if he didn't report this and it actually turned out to be something he knew that he could be in a lot of trouble.

Shimizu Kiyoko’s voice came, quiet and impassive as ever: “Hello, Oikawa. Is everything alright?”

Tooru exhaled. “Sorry, Kiyoko. I know it’s late. I’m not sure if I should even be calling you for this but- my brother found a kid. In our garden. He says he doesn’t go to school, and he doesn’t have any belongings.” At least, he hadn’t seen a sign of any, and Hinata claimed not to have them. “I think maybe he’s a runaway or something.” It would make sense, for Tobio to have found him outside. Maybe he was one of those kids trying to get away from an awfully restrictive home life: That could explain the comment about his mother teaching him all he needed.

There was a short pause.

“I see.” Kiyoko’s voice crackled slightly with static. “I’m unable to come right now, but I can be there first thing in the morning. In the meantime, I will check to see if there are any missing children in the area. Can you provide me with a description of him?”

“In the morning?” Tooru did have the day off the next day, luckily, but still. The morning seemed a long time away.

“Are you able to keep him there until then?”, asked Kiyoko.

Tooru froze, stunned. He stared out into the darkness of the garden through the kitchen window, watching for any other shapes that might appear out of the night.

He whispered; “Well, do you think it’s… Safe?”

“Why?” Her voice did not waver. “Does he seem violent at all?”

“No. Not at all. He’s just…” Tooru yanked the blinds down, checking once more over his shoulder to make sure the door was still closed behind him and that he had no audience. “Weird.”

“Children often are. If you don’t feel comfortable keeping him in your house or you are unable to do so, take him down to the local police station. I will drop by in the morning regardless. It’s been a while since I checked in with you.”

Tooru nearly cursed under his breath. He mouthed it instead, flopping into one of the chairs at the kitchen table.

There was a lot of cleaning he was going to have to get done before she arrived. Tidying and fixing things. Trying to keep an eye on that kid at the same time wasn’t going to be easy.

Kiyoko’s voice jolted him back to himself.

“So, can I have a description? If there are any local missing children that seem to fit, I can contact the local police, and perhaps something can be done in the next few hours. If not- it may all just be a misunderstanding.”

“Okay, Kiyoko, you’ve twisted my arm.” Tooru knew she didn’t appreciate his humor- in fact, it had turned an initially cordial relationship, when she first helped him following the death of their grandfather, into a bit of a frosty one- but he couldn’t help teasing her slightly. There was no reaction, and he coughed, continuing in a more serious tone; “He’s got bright orange hair, big eyes. He’s about Tobio’s age, I guess, but short and skinny. He says his name is Hinata. Oh, he’s wearing some kind of… Onesie. Which is what made me think something was off because he’s got no other clothes or a bag or anything.”

“I’ll put the word out now. Don’t be surprised if someone comes knocking on your door in the next couple of hours for him, although we may not have any more information until tomorrow.” Kiyoko’s unfaltering calm always managed to both terrify Tooru and reassure him at the same time. “And, Oikawa, as I said, if you do have any concerns, don’t hesitate to contact the police, or me. I can’t get there until the morning, but I’ll answer if you call.”

Tooru knew when he was being dismissed. “Yes. Thank you, Kiyoko.”

“See you in the morning.”

“Bye. See you.”

They hung up.

Tooru took a deep breath, staring around at the empty kitchen. No mom or dad. No grandpa. Just him to handle this.

Scraping the chair back, he returned to the living room. Both boys were still staring at the TV.

“Hey!”, Tooru cried, raising his arms and grabbing their attention. “Hinata, since you’re staying over tonight, let’s get a bed set up for you!”

The boy bounced to his feet, grinning.

Tooru ignored the look of despair Tobio gave him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh yeah, so Kiyoko is Cobra Bubbles... I just want to see her in a suit with his sunglasses amd earring pls


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took a little while to write, I've been busy with exams and essays coming up, as well as trying to work on my other fics. Hope you enjoy this chapter and, to anyone who is reading this, I hope that you've had a good week and that the next one is even better :))))

Asahi drummed his fingers over the mug of coffee and did his best to avoid Kiyoko’s eyes.

He hoped she didn’t notice.

Not that he didn’t like Kiyoko; she had been very accommodating of him on his first week on the job, even when he had gotten scared by that dog on one of their first calls. Asahi still maintained that its barks had made it sound far larger than a sausage dog.

Yet Asahi was already beginning to wonder whether social care was for him. As much as he enjoyed speaking with the children and helping them, some of the things that he had heard so far had been rather… Upsetting. He admired Kiyoko’s ability to handle it all with grace and compassion while at the same time maintaining a strong face. He wondered just how long she had been working in this sector: Long enough, perhaps, that she had gotten used to it. Or maybe that was just her way, to continue on unruffled and quick-thinking.

She was still staring at him. Her stormy gray eyes bored so far into his own he thought she could see right through to his brain, could see a little slideshow of all of Asahi’s internal thoughts- screaming, crying, and some more screaming- being projected onto it. Little cartoon creatures running about trying to stop his thoughts from catching fire and completely overtaking his mind.

But, of course, he was already overthinking it, just like he always did.

Concentrating on the single mole on Kiyoko’s chin and inhaling deeply, Asahi asked; “What’s our first job today?”

“I had a call from a man last night.” Kiyoko’s voice was monotone. That was another thing that worried Asahi: She always told him he was doing well, yet she never seemed to show much inflection in her tone and so he could never be quite sure. “Oikawa Tooru. It was strange because normally I have to contact him first.”

Asahi glanced about the café. The place Kiyoko had told him was roughly halfway between his place and hers when she had picked him up on his first day had become a regular breakfast spot for them. The one time they had not gone had been when Asahi had been running late the previous Thursday, having overslept. The staff there seemed friendly, the food was always warm and tasty and, best of all, it was usually quiet at that time. Today nobody else was there, besides a woman with a baby in one corner and a couple of young men sitting up at the counter.

“What did he call about?”, he asked. Normally they weren’t really supposed to discuss cases or calls they had in public, but considering there was nobody within earshot, Asahi didn’t think it would cause too much harm. Besides, he thought as his fingernails dug into his palms, he needed to know what they were heading into.

Kiyoko hummed, looking down at her own mug of coffee. “He said he found a child.”

“He found a child?”

“Yes. I couldn’t be quite sure exactly what he meant, but he claimed that a child appeared in his garden.” She wrapped her hands about the mug and drew it up to her chin, taking a drink. “It is a little concerning, actually. Oikawa became his brother’s legal guardian when their grandfather passed away, and I was assigned to them. I check in with them now and then. Honestly, he probably shouldn’t even have one child, but he is now, apparently, somehow in the possession of two.”

Asahi’s stomach turned slightly. That certainly did not sound good.

“You really think he found a kid in his backyard?”, he wondered aloud. It sounded like such a strange tale to come out with, but then he had heard during his training that it wasn’t uncommon for young runaways or lost children to turn up in odd places.

Setting her mug down, Kiyoko murmured, her pale half-moon face turned away to stare out of the window; “He sounded genuine. I am more confused as to where the child would have come from, and why he has it. I suppose we will find out today.”

“Why did he not just go to the police?”

“I told him to wait for me to visit.” Her tone was curt, and Asahi had learned not to question her on certain things. He was sure that what she had said was not standard procedure, but then Kiyoko knew this Oikawa and the particulars of his case. If she thought it was what was best, then Asahi wasn’t about to argue. Not until he had met them and had a full grasp of what was going on, anyway.

Hesitantly, he asked; “And after that?”

Twin shadows sliced through the fluorescent lighting overhead and across the table between the two of them.

Blinking, Asahi turned to face the new arrivals.

The first man was tall, with a shaved head and a sneer on his face as he took in Asahi that made him want to fall through a hole in the ground and disappear; which was, he supposed, likely its intended purpose. The other man was half-hidden behind his taller companion, but Asahi could just make out spiked dark hair, a pointed chin, and an eager glint in wide brown eyes.

The one closest to Asahi turned to Kiyoko, and the sneer immediately dropped from his face as he said, his tone surprisingly pleasant; “Hi, sorry to interrupt your conversation.” His voice even wavered a little. If Asahi wasn’t so terrified, he might have been amused.

“ _Really_ sorry”, the other man put in, and his words came across a little more confident and forceful.

He received a small nod from his companion, who then continued, speaking quickly; “But I noticed you from all the way over at the bar and I have to say, you are the most stunning person on Earth.”

Ah. Asahi had heard of this, had seen it happen with some of his female friends back in school. Men who would approach women at random times to compliment them, expecting some kind of reciprocation, perhaps a phone number- or more.

He realized he was shrinking back into the corner in the hope that they wouldn’t notice him and, scolding himself, tried to catch Kiyoko’s eye to get an indication of how she wanted to handle the situation. Would she want him to pretend to be her boyfriend? Asahi didn’t want to start any trouble, but he knew how a lot of people saw him, with his seemingly grizzled face and beard and his height; he would tower over these two.

Should he tell them to get lost? They looked like delinquents, though. Oh, this day was already off to a bad start.

Kiyoko had been staring at the men in silence for a few seconds, not meeting Asahi’s gaze. Eventually, she said, “Thank you”, and then turned toward Asahi, her face unreadable.

Asahi saw the shorter of the pair give him a curious glance, as though he had only just noticed the beautiful woman that they came over to speak to was not alone.

The other man still only had eyes for Kiyoko. His fists were clenched tightly at his sides, and his body practically trembled as he began; “I was wondering if maybe-”

Asahi finally found his voice. “We’re busy right now so please leave us alone.” The words came out croakily and gravelly rather than high-pitched, even with all of his nerves, which he was grateful for.

Both of their faces went alarmingly pale. If Asahi had been a friend of theirs, or maybe an acquaintance, he might have suggested they see a doctor.

“Shit”, the man with the shaved head whispered under his breath. Asahi felt a surge of embarrassment that such a reaction was being caused by him, but he was also glad. If it got Kiyoko out of a sticky situation, it was worth it.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noted that Kiyoko was draining the last of her coffee.

“We must be leaving also.” With a stiff nod, she got to her feet and breezed past the two men.

They no longer seemed as confident, shrinking back in on themselves and staring at their feet as they murmured; “Goodbye.”

Asahi also stood and saw them freeze as he followed after Kiyoko. He did his best to look intimidating, although it was somewhat mitigated by his falling over a chair as he neared the door.

Once they had strapped themselves in the car, Asahi muttered; “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. They weren’t being impolite, just annoying.” She was staring into the mirror, focusing on reversing out of their space and then exiting the parking lot to merge onto the highway. “Oikawa’s house is only two minutes away, so we can stop off to see what’s going on, and then hopefully continue on with our day once we’ve handed things over to the police. If that’s what’s necessary.”

They pulled off from the main road and onto a dirt track that rose up and away from the town. Along one side was a row of houses, small and unmistakably hand-built in a variety of shapes, some squat with rounded windows and others seeming to have built room by room, stacked up and up on top of each other until they formed a little oblong tower. Each one was separated from the next by a distance of several meters. As they drove past each one, Asahi caught snatches of woodland in the spaces between, sprawling out behind the properties. He couldn’t see beyond the first few trees before darkness blotted out the rest.

He shuddered. Asahi had grown up in the city, and the thought of living in a home that backed onto dense forest gave him nightmares. He had read too many horror stories online.

Kiyoko’s voice cut into his thoughts.

“Oikawa’s house is just up…”

She stopped, crouching over the steering wheel with a frown on her face. Asahi followed her gaze and saw smoke rising, curling above the treeline at the top of the hill up ahead.

“That can’t be very good”, Kiyoko murmured.

How was she still so calm?

Asahi’s heart was getting a workout today. Maybe he should get out of the car now and jog back into town to hand in his notice. They had slowed to a crawl up the hill: This was his best chance. He really wasn’t cut out for this.

As ridiculous as that thought may have been, his fingers twitched toward the door handle, and Kiyoko’s head snapped toward him, as though she herself was aware of what he was contemplating.

Biting his lip, Asahi met her gaze.

And then nearly jumped out of his skin as something thudded against the side of the car.

Oh, this really was a horror movie and something was coming out of the woods, it was no use to get out and run now, they were going to horrible deaths, murdered by- by-

Asahi dared to peek out of the window.

It was a man. No- two men.

The one who had fallen against the side of the car had dark hair, and he was clutching one arm to his chest. He seemed dazed as he righted himself, staggering into his ashen-haired companion, who glanced at the car and then began to tug the other man off down the hill. Asahi watched them with his mouth hanging open, noticing that their clothes were slightly singed. No second guesses needed as to where they had just come from.

Maybe not a murderer, then.

Asahi was about to ask whether one of them had been Oikawa, but before he could, Kiyoko muttered; “And I had really hoped that I wasn’t right this time.”

With a sigh, she tilted the wheel and let the car drift to a halt at the side of the road. Then, she removed her phone from her pocket, tapped away on the screen for a few seconds, and held it to her ear.

“Kiyoko?”, he whispered, around the frantically pulsating heart in his mouth. “Why did you stop?”

Kiyoko didn’t look at him. Asahi could hear the phone of whoever was on the other end of the line ringing through the silence.

He tried again. “Are you calling the fire brigade? Or the police?”

No answer came.

Asahi was really starting to get a bad feeling about this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so some of the stuff in this chapter may seem a little random but it will be explained :))))


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh sorry I've been slow in updating... Well, everything. Exams and essays have taken it out of me. Still, at least it's the holidays now! I hope everybody reading is well and safe with those they love! :)))))

The clock ticked away on the wall. Tooru tried to refrain from glancing at it.

His leg jittered up and down beneath the kitchen table where his hands sat linked together. Hinata sat opposite him diagonally, swinging his own legs and humming to himself.

Tooru had sent Tobio off to school with what he hoped had been a reassuring smile, after a quiet and tense night. He was unsure whether Tobio had even fully grasped the situation they were in: He seemed to have indifferently accepted the stranger into their lives, snorting at many of the things he said but otherwise ignoring him. The only thing that had caused Tobio to speak up had been the ‘bathroom song’ that the boy had sung when Tooru had sent him to shower, which had sparked a small argument between the two boys until Tooru frantically shushed his brother.

Sitting in front of him, Hinata’s hair was still damp, curling slightly at the ends. He was dressed in a pair of sweatpants and an old black t-shirt that was Tobio had grown out of some time ago, but which still hung loose on Hinata. Tooru had left the strange black jumpsuit in a bag in the bathroom, unsure of what exactly to do with it.

Tooru glanced at the clock again. Kiyoko had not given him a time however she usually came early in the morning. He hoped she would be there soon.

Hinata was staring at him, his eyes wide, still humming.

“So”, Tooru began. He coughed a little into one hand, trying to come up with a normal conversation starter and failing. “You say you’re not from here, right?” The boy had said as much, several times now. “Where are you from?”

“Up there.” Hinata’s humming ceased and he pointed upward. In the direction of the ceiling, which shielded them from the second floor and the roof, which in turn shielded them from the sky.

“Right. Up there as in…”

“Galaxy LMD-85. Asteroid FR634”, the boy reeled off, matter-of-fact. “That’s where my mother created me.”

Tooru blinked. The way he stated the numbers, so robotically, was scary. Either this kid came from some kind of cult that believed in the words of their founder or he had a scarily good poker face. Tooru doesn’t want to think about the other option.

He decided to change tactic, not wishing to probe that line of inquiry any further. “How did you get into our garden?”

“I told you. I took a ship.” Again, there was the matter-of-fact tone, the unblinking stare.

“Where is it?”

“In the forest.” Hinata cocked his head. “I can show you if you want.”

Tooru couldn’t help the prickle of curiosity that rippled across his skin. There was no way, of course… But, what if… ?

He shrugged his shoulders sharply. “Maybe later.”

“What can I do now?”, Hinata whined, tipping his head back against the chair in a way that was very familiar. “I’m bored.”

Tooru hesitated. “You can go into the garden if you want.”

He received a blank stare in return

Standing, Tooru was about to make his way toward the back door, only he rethought his plan. Hinata had said something about being in the forest before, and there was the line of trees to the back of the garden. Perhaps it would be better for him to go out front, where Tooru could keep an eye on him and there were no trees to get lost in- or for anything to hide behind.

So instead, he led Hinata to the front door and shepherded him outside, letting the door rest against the jamb without fully closing it and warning him not to go further than the border of the garden.

Once he was satisfied that Hinata was happy, sitting on the grass- which Tooru really needed to cut at some point- and plucking at weeds, Tooru went to sit by the window in the living room, alternately watching Hinata and glancing down the road for Kiyoko’s car.

He took out his phone and fiddled with it; not actually using it, just turning it over and over again in his hands. Although he knew Iwaizumi had to be at work, he found himself going through his contacts to call him anyway.

Iwaizumi always scoffed at his bizarre alien theories. Tooru really needed somebody to scoff at what he was thinking now, to tell him that he was being ridiculous.

His best friend, the one person he could always turn to in times of need, of course, did not answer. Tooru groaned and contemplated tossing his phone through the window.

The front door banged open.

“Careful!”, Tooru yelped, sticking his head around the door to see Hinata standing just inside, frozen.

“Sorry!”

He didn’t look very sorry, though, Tooru thought, as he dashed across to peer up at the man. He was holding something in his hands, and he held it up to Tooru.

Flowers. Not just any flowers. Half a dozen orange roses.

“I got these for you! To say thank you for letting me stay.”

Tooru barely heard him over the ringing in his ears. His eyes searched Hinata’s face, wondering whether he had any inkling as to what he had just done and found it frustratingly blank. The rage simmered inside him, threatening to boil over the top.

“Don’t-!”, he barked. “You don’t touch the flowers here, okay? Just- don’t do that.”

Hinata stared up at him, his face crumpling slightly. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.” Tooru sighed. He wasn’t to know. “It’s okay. Go put them in a glass of water or something- gently.”

As Hinata’s feet pattered off in the direction of the kitchen, Tooru retreated back into the living room and stared out the window. Shit. Why had he turned away from Hinata?

The rose bush that their mother had planted, in the little flowerbed that she had always been so proud of, sat bare now. Tooru’s heart seized. He reminded himself that Hinata was just a kid; a kid who, from the sounds of it, had been through something traumatic.

At least he had left the tulips alone, he reasoned.

With a heavy sigh, he made his way into the kitchen. The orange roses had been sat in a glass nearly overflowing with water in the center of the kitchen table. He had to admit, it did brighten the place up a little.

As he walked past, Tooru did a double-take. He could have sworn that there used to be a lamp there. Internally, he shrugged. Too many weird things had happened for him to really care.

Hinata was standing over by the sink, his hands clasped in front of him.

“I’m sorry”, he whispered again, dipping his head.

“You didn’t know”, said Tooru. “It’s okay. They’re pretty.”

The boy looked up. “Pretty?”

“Yes. Isn’t that why you picked them?”

Hinata stared at him for a moment without expression. “I liked the color”, he replied simply.

“It’s nice.” Tooru mustered a small grin. “They’re the same color as your hair almost.”

Wonderingly, Hinata reached both hands up and threaded his fingers through his strands, as though by touch alone he could decipher the color.

Just where in the hell had this kid come from?

Pity touched Tooru’s heart, and he reached one hand out to gently wrap around the boy’s arm.

Hinata stopped, staring up at him and dropping his hands.

“See”, Tooru prompted, pointed Hinata toward the mirror with one hand and gently tugging him forward with the other.

The boy took the steps across to stand in front of it. His eyes widened when he caught sight of his reflection, and he gazed at it without speaking for several seconds.

A knock at the door started the both of them.

Finally, Kiyoko was here.

Still keeping one eye on Hinata, Tooru made his way down the hall to the front door, giving a sigh of relief as he pulled it open.

And... That was not Kiyoko

Instead, two men stood on the doorstep: One with cropped dark hair and broad shoulders, the other a little shorter and slightly more slender- although Tooru was taller than either of them- and had gray hair. A single mole- or was it a beauty mark?- stood out against his creamy skin, just under his left eye.

“Oh- hello.” Tooru stared expectantly.

“Hi!”, Beauty Mark replied, his voice chipper.

The other man cleared his throat. “We’re here about-”, he lowered his voice, his dark eyes flashing intensely, “-the child.”

How did they know about Hinata? Perhaps they worked with Kiyoko. But she had said she would be coming herself, as soon as she was able to do so. Unless she had contacted the police?

Tooru frowned, looking them up and down. Most definitely not policemen. One wore a silvery sweater and smart black pants; the other had on jeans and a rather hideous orange jacket.

He looked back up in time to catch them swapping a glance.

Slowly, he said; “I thought Kiyoko was coming?”

“We work with Kiyoko”, the man who had spoken first told him. He was still smiling, and it seemed frozen in place on his face. His voice was far gentler than Tooru had realized from the one word he spoke before. “She called in sick today sadly, so she asked us to come instead. She knew how concerned you were.”

Tooru met his wide brown eyes, and there was something in the crinkle around them that relaxed Tooru completely. They were with Kiyoko; obviously, he could trust them. How else could they know about Hinata? Last night had just been so strange for him that he was starting to get paranoid.

He stepped aside, gesturing for them to come in.

Each man gave him a nod as they made their way past him.

Neither of them made it more than three steps into the hallway when Hinata appeared at the end of the corridor, and time seemed to slow down.

The first thing Tooru noticed was the way Hinata’s eyes and mouth gaped wide open, a strangled gasp leaving his lips.

The second thing he noticed was the gun. The broad, dark-haired man who had been in the lead had pulled it from under his jacket, and it now sat in his right hand, raised halfway between the floor and where Hinata was stood.

Tooru immediately threw his hands up and pressed himself to the wall. Shit, shit, shit. There really was a cult, wasn’t there? Or some kind of trafficking thing? Where was Kiyoko?

Nobody moved or spoke. Tooru dared to breathe, squinting his eyes open.

The gun, upon closer inspection, was not like any gun he had ever seen before. It looked more like a toy, all bright colors and comically large buttons, except he could feel the heat pulsing in it as the man’s finger teased the trigger.

Tooru looked over to Hinata. He was still frozen in the hallway, only Tooru now saw that he wasn’t even looking at the gun, or the one holding it. He was staring over his shoulder, his gaze fixated onto the other man.

“Mmmm…” The sound was somewhere between a moan and a high-pitched whine, like a wounded animal.

“Hinata”, the man said, his voice soft. “Hinata, you need to come with us now please.”

Hinata’s nose scrunched up and he shook his head. “But…”

“It’s okay, Hinata. Just… Just come with us, and I’ll keep you safe.” He raised his hands, slipping past the man with the gun and taking a couple of steps so that he was almost behind where Tooru stood. Tooru saw the man with the gun following him with his eyes, and the brief glance he spared Tooru; the first time he had looked away from Hinata. “See? I’ve come here to get you.”

Tooru realized he was holding his breath and sucked in a gasp as silently as he could manage. As he did so, a surge of sorrow and pain threatened to overwhelm him. He could not quite grasp what it was aimed at, although he felt worse when he looked at Hinata. The poor child, being taken away by gunpoint.

Where was Kiyoko? What the hell was this?

Hinata slowly began walking along the corridor, one unsure footstep at a time. Tooru longed to yell at him not to go with them, to grab the gun, but he found he could not move. He felt lightheaded.

“I- I don’t want to go back there”, Hinata whispered, hesitating after just a few steps.

“We don’t have to.” The gray-haired man knelt down. He was so close now that if he reached out, his fingertips would brush Hinata. “Come here.”

Hinata took the last step forward, sliding his small palms to rest against the man’s. After a moment, he exhaled and leaned into the touch.

“Okay”, the man hummed. “It’s okay.”

“It’s okay”, Hinata echoed quietly, and there was something different about his voice when he said it. He looked to Tooru, his face still unsure; but, when he turned back to the man crouched in front of him, his face brightened. “I got to watch volleyball!”

The man’s smile did not falter. “What is that?”

“It’s a sport! They play it on TV!”

“And how do they play it?” He cocked his head, mirroring Hinata’s own tilt.

With that, Hinata began to ramble in a way that only children could, breathy and full of excitement and described in imaginative ways where he did not know the correct terminology for certain things. The words washed over Tooru’s ears without really sinking in, about how you had to keep the ball in the air while trying to hit the floor on the other side of the net, the other team racing to stop you.

The gray-haired man listened raptly, nodding and still clutching at Hinata’s hands.

Tooru watched, sick to his stomach, as the other man slowly slipped the gun into his pocket, only to produce a pair of handcuffs: Although, again, these were not handcuffs as Tooru knew them. These were made of some black metallic material, shifting and liquid, although they turned to solid where the man’s fingers touched the surface and rippled apart as if the molecules were spreading and turning gelatinous the second that they weren't being touched.

Behind the kneeling man, he moved closer. Closer still. Hinata did not seem to be aware, focused on recounting the matches he had seen.

A strangled noise escaped Tooru’s throat, just as the man reached forward.

Beauty Mark gasped as Hinata wrenched himself away, leaping so fast and so high that he- Tooru gaped, unbelieving, this simply could not be happening- he hit the ceiling.

He didn’t come back down.

Rather, his body flipped, fingers and toes scrabbling for purchase against the smooth white surface. He must have found it, for he began to crawl.

Tooru shrieked; “What the fu-”

Waves of heat fanned across his face, and he saw that the dark-haired man had his gun in both hands once more, pointing up toward Hinata. Tooru was close enough to hear what he was gasping under his breath.

“Shit, shit, shit.”

Hinata was screeching, crawling in a zig-zag motion across the ceiling toward the staircase at the end like the possessed victim in a horror movie. The man’s finger clenched on the trigger, and then came a wet popping sound.

The ball that emerged from the gun was not a solid bullet, or even a liquid: In the brief glimpse Tooru got of it arcing through the air, it appeared like a glowing-white ball of energy, and a hot gust of wind whipped past to be replaced by the cold. It ripped a hole straight through the wall right above Tooru’s head, and it was that which prompted him to move.

Sprinting into the kitchen, he slammed the door behind him, grabbing a knife from the drawer even though he was aware it would likely not be much use.

He could hear them: Hinata screaming, a garbled high-pitched noise; the silvery-haired man also yelling now incomprehensibly; more wet popping sounds.

Panicked and unsure of what else to do, Tooru pulled out his phone and called his most recent contact, his mind racing: Iwaizumi.

There was no answer: He was at work, of course he was at work. Over the dial tone, the sounds in the house stopped, a momentary lapse of silence settling in. Then: Heavy footsteps, more shouting.

“Iwaizumi! Fuck- Iwaizumi!”, Tooru half-screamed, “Get- get Tobio! Please, I need you to get him from school for me- don’t let him come home!” More footsteps now, thudding down the stairs. “Take him somewhere safe! Shit!”

His voice hoarse, Tooru grabbed a hold of the door to the backyard, ready to launch himself outside, and called the police, screaming their address at the frazzled operator who answered.

“We’re being attacked! Help! Please, send help! There’s a kid- and- and a gun and-”

He dropped his phone at the sound of a loud blast from upstairs, and he dropped to his knees beside it, scrambling to lift it up.

“Sir?”, the operator was calling. “Sir?”

Tooru hung up and slipped out into the garden. They should be sending someone, someone should be on their way, Tobio would be safe with Iwaizumi- now he just needed to get himself safe.

Only- only, he couldn’t leave the house. Not their home.

Tooru clung to the tree, looking up as more of those balls of energy shot straight through the walls from the top floor and outside. They didn’t appear bound by gravity: They flew skyward, growing smaller and smaller until they vanished entirely from his view.

Yet more loud crashing sounded from within, and Tooru was able to track the noise with his eyes from outside as something heavy fell down the staircase.

There was a long period of silence. Warily, having nowhere else to go, Tooru stepped back into the kitchen. He held his breath as he peered around the kitchen door and into the hallway.

“We need to go!”, Beauty Mark was saying. He stood at the bottom of the stairs, stooped and tugging at the dark-haired man, who lay groaning beside him, propped against the wall. Both of their clothes had been torn in places- no, _burnt_ ; they were still smoking lightly. The house smelt like an ashtray. “We need to go now!”

He pulled his partner to his feet, and then the two of them proceeded to rush out of the front door.

Tooru sprinted down the hall, almost skidding on the rug, and slammed the door shut, locking it behind them. Turning, the corridor almost looked normal, except for the black-edged hole high up on the wall.

Was Hinata still in the house? He had to be upstairs somewhere. So why had Tooru locked the door? He wasn’t sure. He had no clue what Hinata was or what he wanted or why he was there, but those men… He had the feeling that, as long as those men were gone, he was safe, for a short while anyway.

He stumbled his way back down to the kitchen, feeling his way with one hand on the wall. His entire body felt numb, felt like he had been given a tranquilizer that was just beginning to take away the function of his limbs and making him walk like a sailor disembarking onto land after months at sea.

What had just happened?

Hands shaking, he poured a glass of water; drained it, and poured another.

When he looked up, Hinata was there, on the other side of the room.

Some of Tooru’s pinpoint accuracy from his years as a setter on high school volleyball team must have remained, for when he flung the knife, it sailed through the air straight toward the- boy, creature, whatever he was.

Reaching one hand up in the blink of an eye, Hinata batted it away as if it were nothing and Tooru watched incredulously as it lodged itself in the wall to his right.

He choked out; “What _are_ you?”

Tooru clutched at the kitchen counter to keep himself upright. He had always wanted to believe that there was something more out there; that life wasn’t confined to their small speck of a planet alone. All the hours he and Tobio spent, sitting up at night and searching for them… He never could have believed one would simply appear in his home. He was still in half a mind as to whether he was dreaming.

“I’m sorry!”, Hinata cried. He raised his hands in front of him, small child’s hands trembling. “I’m not going to hurt you, or- I just needed to get away-” His voice, rising in pitch, broke off abruptly.

Tooru had to admit that was true. If Hinata had wanted to kill him, he probably could have done it already. And, although Tooru didn’t really know him, he sincerely hoped he wasn’t enough of a sadist to try and befriend Tooru just to snap his neck later on. He really did seem to be a child. To trust him completely would be foolish, of course; still, Tooru’s grip on the counter relaxed slightly.

He whispered; “Those guys.” Hinata looked up at him sharply. “Are they chasing you because you’ve done something?”

“I haven’t done anything." He bit his lip. "Except take a ship. And escape destruction.”

“… Right.” Tooru swallowed, processing. Child or not, Hinata was clearly some kind of fugitive, and there had to be a reason behind it. Yet there were more immediate matters to worry about: The state of his house, for one, and the idea that they might be receiving more unwelcome visits in the near future. “Do you think they’ll come back again?

“Probably.” Hinata was frowning, his face morose. He seemed more upset than perturbed or frightened by the situation they had just been in. “My mother seemed very concerned.”

Tooru’s head snapped around. “Your mother?”

“The one without the blaster.”


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year! 
> 
> I'm like a week-2 weeks behind in all of writing thanks to Christmas and New Years and an obscene amount of food that made me feel like not doing anything at all, so please accept this humble offering. Hopefully from this point on I'll be back on track.
> 
> Enjoy!

Koushi had not been able to believe their luck when, as they walked out of the forest that morning, he saw Hinata knelt right by a small hedge, digging around in the dirt of a flowerbed.

Perhaps it had not been good luck so much as bad, though: They had gone in unprepared, without much of a plan other than Koushi’s confidence that he could convince Hinata to come with them and that he would be able to distract him until Sawamura could get the cuffs on, and now Sawamura was injured.

Guilt swirled in his stomach as they staggered down the road together, Sawamura’s heavy body half-supported in his arms. Guilt over the singed wound on Sawamura’s arm. Guilt that Hinata’s eyes had widened in terror as he dodged the onslaught of attacks.

They reached the bottom of the hill, where the houses gave way to a wide-open strip of highway and small ships- cars, they were called cars- raced past.

Shit. Which way now? To the ship?

“Where are we going?”, Sawamura echoed his thoughts. “We need to go back to the ship.”

“Yes”, he breathed, pausing to gather his bearings. Back to the ship. Through the trees.

A group of people on the other side of the dark strip were staring at them. Koushi didn’t blame them: It wasn’t something they were likely to see every day.

The panic tightened in his throat as he turned away from the forest, tightening his fistfuls of cloth and forcing Sawamura to stumble along beside him and down the grass verge to the side of the strip.

“What are you doing?”, Sawamura hissed, even as he followed along. “The ship is the other way?”

If he really wanted to, Koushi could leave Sawamura here. He had injured his arm with blaster fire and hurt his leg as he fell down the steps. It would make it difficult for him to catch up to Koushi if Koushi decided to run. But, the sad reality was, he likely wouldn’t make it very far. Sure, he could probably find some hidey-hole on Earth to spend the rest of his life in: They wouldn’t send many people to search for him, since they were reluctant to send rangers to uncontacted planets unless it was an emergency. Who knew, they may even find him and simply monitor him to ensure he was not working on anything dangerous, wanting to avoid the hassle of an attempted capture. But he would be stuck on this planet and, as interesting as Earth was, Koushi knew he would likely grow tired of being alone and become restless.

Still, compared to being in a cell… Running really was the better option.

Instead, he swallowed and answered.

“I know, but if I walk you into the forest like this those people will think I’m taking you away to kill you or something. They might be concerned and send someone after us.”

Sawamura grumbled something that Koushi didn’t make out.

Electing to ignore whatever it was, he continued; “Besides, the ship isn’t very comfortable.” It was true. That ship was fully functional; a light, quick craft. But it was not made for sleeping in. Even with the blanket which Sawamura had so graciously provided him, Koushi had shuddered, hunkered over on the bench where he had sat on their flight in.

“Let’s find a hotel”, he pleaded. “Just for one night.” A night in a hotel, on a real bed: Almost like being back to normal, like he wasn’t a prisoner who would spend the rest of his life in a cell. And on Earth, too! The chance to observe a real human habitat…

“No.” Sawamura cut his daydreaming short.

There was a lull in the number of cars whizzing past, and so Koushi pulled Sawamura across to the grass verge on the other side, breaking off at a junction and walking quickly into the more built-up area of the town where they had done their clothes shopping previously.

Koushi wondered, as they passed mirrored windows, what the Earth money was for if they were not going to spend it? What else would they buy now that they had enough clothes? Was Sawamura some kind of grouch or miser who disliked parting from his cash? Koushi wouldn’t have labeled him as such from their first impressions, although Sawamura did strike him as the type to insist that anything that was broken could be fixed rather than being replaced.

Ignoring Sawamura’s mumbled protests, Koushi followed a sign that directed them down a small side street and through a large vacant lot where several cars sat empty and silent to the door of a hotel. Despite his muttering, Sawamura put up no physical resistance as Koushi nudged him through it and into the warm.

It was rather gaudy inside, with strange décor and clashing colors and outfits that looked nothing like what the people on the streets wore. Maybe the fashions on Earth changed significantly depending on where you went, though.

Approaching the front desk, Koushi cleared his throat.

“Hi. We need a room for the night.”

The receptionist- a tall young man with curly dark hair- gave him a tight-lipped smile, eyes raking over him and Sawamura in turn.

“I’m sorry. We’re fully booked right now.”

Koushi leaned forward. “Could you maybe check please?” He reached out to the man, sensing his apathy and attempting to push it toward sympathy. At the same time, he focused on maintaining the sense of calm that he sent in waves toward Sawamura, mustering everything he could not to tinge it with the panic he felt.

“Well…” The man raised his eyebrows. “I’ll see, but I can’t promise anything.”

“Thank you.”

With that, he vanished through a small door in the wall behind.

Koushi stood watching for a moment, biting at his lip. If they couldn’t get in here, would they be able to find another hotel? The town wasn’t necessarily small, but it didn’t strike him as overly busy either. Maybe going back to the ship would have been the best idea. What if someone came looking for them?

“Stop it”, Sawamura hissed at his side. “I can feel you doing it.” He winced.

It took Koushi a moment to realize what he meant. When he did, he redoubled his efforts in chewing on his lip.

“Sorry. I just want to get you somewhere warm so I can take a look at that.”

He looked down at Sawamura’s arm. It did not seem so bad as he had feared: There was no bone exposed, anyway, that he could see, and it looked almost as though it had been cauterized through the heat. Koushi wasn’t entirely sure of the exact specification of blasters that they used at the Hub, but the ones he used to get seemed to have been cheap rip-offs of them, so he thought they maybe used similar technology. If that was indeed the case, there should be no nasty surprises like poison, or Sawamura’s arm dropping off after a few hours. He just needed to get it clean and assess the damage.

Glancing back up, he noticed Sawamura giving him a strange look. Only, when he blinked it was gone, and the usual stern set was back on the ranger’s face.

Sawamura demanded; “Then take me back to the ship.”

A muffled cough sounded from behind the desk, and the two turned in time to see the receptionist once more emerging from the room behind the desk.

“I’m so sorry, we’re full.” He blinked, staring uncertainly between them. “Are you okay? Did you need anything else?”

“Fine.” That was probably for the best. Sawamura was right: The hotel was a foolish idea. They needed to get back to the ship. Bobbing his head, he continued; “Thank you for checking again, though.”

Outside, the streets had somehow grown busier. Koushi wondered whether it was a special time of day for humans: There appeared to be a greater number of younger humans around.

“Come on”, Sawamura prompted. He reached for the sleeve of Koushi’s sweater, only to wince and let out a hiss.

Koushi let out a sigh, reaching to support Sawamura once more. The ship was the top priority, of course, but right now he should do something about this.

“Sawamaru, please. Listen to me-”

Sawamura continued. “We can get the medical kit and-”

“I brought it with me. It’s in my pocket.”

He fished around in the pants Sawamura had provided him before producing the kit, shrunk down to fit. It had taken him a little while to figure that one out, he thought, so Sawamura had better be grateful.

Sawamura stared dumbly at him. “What?”

“I figured something like this might happen, so-”

“You figured something like this might happen?!” The ranger’s raised voice made several heads turn in their direction, and Koushi leaned in, lowering his own.

“Well, yes, Hinata-”

“You were the one who wanted to approach it!”, Sawamura snapped. “What, did you hope it would hurt me so that you could escape or-”

“No, Sawamura!”, Koushi’s voice was little more than a desperate hiss. Too many people were looking. Really, was he going to have to do Sawamura’s job for him? “I wanted to approach _him_ because I thought we could capture _him_!” He had ignored Sawamura saying ‘it’ so far as not to cause an argument, but Hinata was Koushi's son. Koushi really didn’t feel like humoring Sawamura just then. “And we could have if you hadn’t pulled your blaster out!”

Sawamura fell silent, a miserable look taking over his face. He muttered something under his breath again, tilted his head back to stare at the sky, and sighed.

“I need to report back to the Hub.” He said eventually. His tone was more even now. “Let’s just sit down somewhere.”

He walked away, his gait less staggered than previously. At least Koushi didn’t need to worry too much about his leg: It was the arm that was clearly the issue.

Koushi followed after him, deciding it would probably be best to change the subject.

“That human…”

Sawamura glanced back over his shoulder. “What?”

“The human he was with. Do you think they’re being held hostage?”

“Do you think that’s a possibility?”

“I don’t think Hinata would do that.” Koushi hesitated. “But then, I don’t know how else he would have gotten inside.”

“Neither of them seemed afraid”, Sawamura commented lightly.

He came to a stop by a small bench, positioned so that it faced out over a stretch of bright green grass. With a sigh, he collapsed onto it, and Koushi slid down to sit on his right side.

Gently, he requested; “Let me see your arm now.”

Sawamura sighed once more and Koushi expected him to complain, but he held his arm out without saying anything further, shrugging his jacket off.

Koushi took Sawamura’s arm between his hands, away from the wound. His skin was a deeper, richer tan color than Koushi’s own, and it felt warm to touch. Koushi leaned in to examine it.

It wouldn’t heal: Those kind of wounds didn’t. But it would scar over. Luckily, his earlier assessment had been correct: It was only skin-deep.

The first aid kit came back out, and Koushi glanced about to make sure nobody was looking before he spat on it: Moisture was needed to make it grow back to regular size. Sawamura gave him a disgusted look.

With halting presses of his finger over the wound, he applied a covering that would also remove any dirt from the wound, the shiny reflective covering peeking through the hole in Sawamura’s long-sleeved shirt.

“Does it hurt a lot?”, he asked. He could never tell with rangers, whether they were really alright or if they were just being stoic.

Maybe he should give Sawamura a painkiller. Although, shrinking and regrowing it may have done something to them: His experiments did not always go correctly.

“I am fine, Sugawara.” Sawamura shrugged him off, pulling his jacket back on.

Koushi tilted his head, shuffling away a little. “You don’t have to call me that, you know. You can just call me Suga. My friends used to call me that.” His friends. It had been so long since he had seen them. He didn’t even know how they had reacted to news of his arrest: None of them had attempted to contact him, as far as he knew.

Sawamura looked at him from the corner of his dark-lashed eyes. “I don’t call criminals by nicknames. And I’m not your friend.”

Internally, Koushi sighed. He had hoped Sawamura would be over that by now, especially with everything Koushi was doing for him currently. He hadn’t seemed as bad as the rest; Koushi had sensed sorrow in him when they had first met. But he was still as prejudiced as the rest of them.

A tiny place inside of him wondered whether that wasn’t justified, though: For all Sawamura knew, Koushi really was a dangerous criminal and Hinata really was a monster. It wasn’t his fault that he had been told to think that.

Koushi shook it off. Him, considering what this guard who didn’t understand his work- who had separated him from his son- thought? The absurdity of it.

He jumped as a sharp pulse of shock and disbelief stabbed at him from his left side. When he looked around, he saw Sawamura staring at two men meandering past. Before Koushi could get a good look at them, they had disappeared behind a family walking by.

Without saying anything, Sawamura leaped to his feet and gave chase. Koushi stood with a startled yelp, hurriedly stuffing what he could of the medical kit into his pockets.

Through the crowds, he spotted them: One taller man with a bald head and one shorter with spiked dark hair. He knew it was them because, when they looked back over their shoulders, their mouths dropped open in shock at the sight of Sawamura approaching. For a brief moment they froze, and then they took off too, brushing past people.

Koushi raced after them, sprinting although he was not sure why. As he ran, he muttered apologies to those knocked aside in their pursuit. Sawamura seemed desperate to reach these men, for some reason; Koushi hoped it wasn’t the first sign of a poison setting in.

Before he knew it, they had outrun him and he had lost them in the crowd.

He looked around, took a few cautious steps forward, and spotted them.

Sawamura had cornered the men against a wall between a couple of houses. They were each pressed with their fingers splayed wide against the wall behind them.

Koushi had to admit, he was impressed that, even injured, Sawamura had caught up to them. He had half-thought Sawamura had been lying when he said he was fine, but he showed no sign of pain now as he leaned over the men. Koushi stepped forward in case Sawamura needed backup, but Sawamura hadn’t even drawn his blaster, and the men were both cowering. Koushi moved closer so he could hear.

“Please, we’re so sorry”, the taller one was pleading, his voice little more than a whimper.

The one with the spiked hair- who Koushi now noticed had a small lighter tuft at the front of his head- continued; “We know we’re not meant to be here! But we didn’t expect them to send rangers to come and get us!”

“Other people from our class have done it before and never got into trouble.”

“Because they never got caught!”, the shorter hissed out of the corner of his mouth.

Koushi moved forward to stand next to Sawamura, figuring it was safe. These men were terrified.

As their pupils fixed on him, Koushi felt their fear changing to surprise.

“Holy shit”, the bald one gaped, previous terror forgotten, “is that Sugawara Koushi?”

“Yes.” Their eyes snapped back to Sawamura when he spoke, and ah- there was the fear. “Now, I’ll ask again: What are you two doing here?”

“We- we just wanted a holiday.”

“A boys’ trip.”

“Because we graduated, finally.”

Koushi cocked his head. “Sawamura, do you know them?”

“Not exactly.” He sighed. “But we come from the same planet.”

“And you recognized them?” Koushi wasn’t sure whether to be baffled or impressed.

Sawamura didn’t look around. “Our colony is very small. Really, you two, why Earth of all places?”

The shorter one mumbled something.

“What?”

“He said it’s cool”, the other answered for him.

“What is? Breaking the law?”, Sawamura asked, and Koushi felt an odd urge to laugh. Even though Sawamura was being serious, Koushi thought that perhaps he was messing with them, just a little.

“Everyone does it for graduation!” The little one burst out, his brown eyes flashing with defiance. He turned to his companion for help and then, for some reason, to Koushi. “You know how it is, you graduate, you take a trip to an uncontacted planet-”

“We made sure we’re inoculated!”, his companion supplied, nodding. Well, at least they were being somewhat responsible, Koushi supposed. “And we got some of these body shield things from my big sis! We can’t spread anything! It’s like wearing plastic all over! Did you never do it?”

Sawamura said; “No, I didn’t break the law for fun.”

“You’re going to report us now, right?” The defiance faded from his eyes. “Shit, my grandpa is going to be so mad…”

“Saeko will kill me…”

“Actually…”

With just one word, Sawamura had all three of them staring at him with raised eyebrows. He met Koushi’s questioning gaze briefly before turning to the two men still backed against the wall.

“Since this is your first transgression- that I’m aware of- I’ll let this one slide.” Oh. Koushi had not expected that. “If you help me with something.”

The bald man looked nervously between him and Koushi.

“How can we help, officer?”

Sawamura put his hands on his hips. “Well, first of all, do you guys happen to have a hotel room we can use?”


	11. Chapter 11

“Ah shit, I forgot. Fucking Oikawa.”

Hanamaki glanced up from the drink he was currently fixing. “What?”

“He asked me to cover for him tonight.”

“What? But you’ll have to go home and come back, then.”

“Exactly.”

“Why didn’t you just say no?”, Matsukawa asked, leaning across the dark wooden surface. He had only joined them from the main building a few minutes ago to take over waiting tables when Hajime left and, as Hajime watched, he rolled an empty drinks tray along the bar toward him. Hajime blocked it with his hand and passed it to Hanamaki.

“What?”

“You always complain about covering for him, but you always do it anyway.”

Sighing, Hajime muttered; “Yeah, well.”

He didn’t really have any other answer. Because yes, he complained. It was irritating: He had his own things to do, arrangements he had made, that he had to cancel when he was covering Oikawa. Even if he had just planned to lay in bed watching a movie it was annoying to have to give that up to drag himself into a job he didn’t particularly love.

But Oikawa could not afford to lose this job. Hajime knew that. And he couldn’t really help it that other things came up, with Tobio being as difficult as he could sometimes be. Hajime loved that kid but he had to admit that if he was taking care of him full-time, even he would likely get frustrated occasionally.

So, he took the shifts, nagging at Oikawa to return the favor although he knew that he probably never would. It meant more pay for him, anyway.

“Well, if you’re going to be back in a few hours, it’s about time you went home and got some rest, loverboy.” Matsukawa nudged him as he spoke, and Hajime glanced up at the clock. Only a few minutes left, but nobody would really notice if he left now.

Hanamaki whacked Hajime with a towel from the bar that he had been using to clean up what Hajime hoped had been a spill. In a strange voice, he whined; “Get outta here. We don’t want you anymore.”

“Do you guys ever go home?”, Hajime muttered as he left to collect his stuff.

“Nope. We are but full-time cogs in the wheels of the machine.” Hanamaki grinned. “See you later!”

It was cold in the lobby. Hajime swiftly tucked himself into his jacket, pulling the zipper up with fumbling fingers and digging around in his pocket for his phone.

There were the usual notifications from a few apps, and a couple of messages from the guys in the geocaching group chat he had joined on a whim and then never participated in.

And a voicemail from Oikawa. That was odd. Oikawa usually messaged him when he wanted something. Perhaps, Hajime hoped, he was calling to tell him he could make the later shift after all. He could dream.

Hajime slipped his earbuds in as he ventured out through the parking lot and into town, listening to the message.

Oikawa's frantic voice came crackling into his ears, vaguely muffled.

“Iwaizumi! Fuck- Iwaizumi! Get- get Tobio! Please, I need you to get him from school for me- don’t let him come home! Take him somewhere safe! Shit!”

What the fuck?

Hajime listened again, his heart beginning to race.

Oikawa sounded… Not like himself. Out of breath, panicked. Hajime hadn’t heard him that way since that one awful call, so many months ago now…

Immediately, he changed direction.

A million possibilities raced through his mind. Had something happened with the house? Or with Miwa? She was the only other family they had, besides a distant cousin on Oikawa’s dad’s side. Shit. What if it was something with Oikawa? What if he had hurt himself? Perhaps his knee was acting up, or-

Hajime shook his head. He should just get Tobio, as Oikawa had asked. Then he could figure out what to do from there.

Although it was cold out, the early afternoon sunlight meant the walk wasn’t entirely unpleasant, and Hajime arrived at the school gates earlier than he had anticipated. He had tried to call Oikawa a couple of times, but when he received no answer, he simply pocketed his phone and continued on. Whatever this was, it was serious.

The kids were still on break when he got there, several groups milling about in the fenced-in yard to the side of the main building. Hajime’s eyes immediately zoned in on Tobio: Standing alone, the boy had his hands in his pockets and his shoulders hunched as he aimlessly kicked at rocks. Hajime felt a knot of pity tighten in his throat. He knew how hard it had been for the boy: Oikawa talked about it sometimes- when they had the chance to talk.

He walked straight into the reception, relieved that they already knew him. The office workers greeted him with a smile: Something they never would have done when he and Oikawa had been students there. Hajime had been back with Oikawa a few times over the past several months to pick Tobio up when he was in trouble, and it was interesting how their opinions of the two of them seemed to have completely reversed now that they were young adults, showering them in polite words and respectful nods.

When Hajime explained why he was there, the older woman behind the desk said she would send someone to collect Tobio. None of them sounded surprised that there were family problems.

Tobio slouched into the office, pausing when he spotted Hajime.

“Iwaizumi”, he said blankly.

“Hey, Tobio.” Hajime forced a smile. “Your brother asked me to come get you.”

The boy’s thin mouth twisted. “Why?” He paused, then repeated, slower, as they began walking; “Did he say why?”

“Honestly? I’m not sure. His message was a little rushed. He just asked me to get you and take you somewhere safe.” He kept his tone light, not wanting to worry him.

Tobio blinked up at him. “So why are we going back to the house?”

Hajime stopped. He hadn’t realized, as they left the gate, that he had automatically turned in the direction of Oikawa’s place. He sighed.

“We just need to make sure your brother is safe, too, okay?”

“Hm.” Tobio had a deep frown, one that didn’t really belong on a child.

Hajime clapped him on the shoulder in a manner that was supposed to be reassuring, except it only made him jump a little.

Hajime swung his arms and tried to appear relaxed.

Maybe he should tell Tobio to wait at the end of the road. Perhaps there was an accident. Had there been some kind of fire, maybe? It had almost sounded like there were explosions in the background of Oikawa’s message, although Hajime had already rationalized that as static. Why would there be explosions in their town, especially on such a quiet road on the outskirts?

It took a long fifteen minutes to get there. Along the way, Hajime opted not to tell Tobio to wait. He didn’t really want to leave him alone, after all. He would take Tobio along the road with him, and if it looked like there was trouble, they would stop a few houses down and wait to see what was happening.

Oikawa still wasn’t answering his phone. Hajime cursed. It was only a few hours until he needed to head back for work. So much for a break. If this was just Oikawa exaggerating and being dramatic, he swore…

Slowly, the two of them made their way up the road, Tobio sticking close to Hajime’s side.

A mixture of panic and relief his him when he saw two police cars parked outside the house: Panic that Oikawa had not been exaggerating, there clearly had been some kind of trouble. Relief because if the police were there, that hopefully meant the trouble was being resolved. Yet, at the same time, finding an ambulance would have been the preferrable option: That would at least have made sense, that Oikawa had injured himself somehow. What did the police being there mean?

Hajime let out a sigh he hadn’t known he was holding in and began to head to the house.

He stopped when he realized Tobio was not following.

The boy was standing in the street, breaths coming heavy and shallow.

“Kageyama?” He approached cautiously. “Hey? Tobio? Breathe, okay. Just breathe.”

The only response he got was a hiccup.

“Shh.” The road was hard under his knee as he bent down beside Tobio. “Do you want to wait here while I find out what’s going on?” He prayed once more that Oikawa was okay. He felt numb, unable to find it in himself to panic. If Oikawa wasn’t alright, he wouldn’t know what to do, how to react.

Tobio shook his head.

Hajime rose back to his feet, looking from the boy to the house and back again. He really should tell him to stay outside…

He became dimly aware that his hands were shaking.

“Okay”, he whispered. “Then let’s go inside.”

He reached out for Tobio's hand, but the kid ignored his offer. Still, he stuck close to Hajime’s side as they made their way to the front door.

It was open, just a crack. Hajime pushed it with one finger so that it opened a fraction more, just enough that he could peer inside.

A police officer was stood in the hall, their back the only thing visible. As the door creaked, they turned to face him and Hajime caught a brief glimpse of an unfamiliar face.

“Hello?”, he called. “Is- Is Oikawa Tooru there? I have his little brother here.”

From somewhere behind the door, Oikawa’s voice sounded; “Iwa-chan? Tobio?”

Another sigh of relief escaped his lips as footsteps sounded, and then the door was flung wide. Oikawa had his arms open as if he were about to hug them but, instead, he stopped on the stoop, beckoning them inside hurriedly.

Hajime followed him into the hallway, Tobio still walking close behind him.

Stood in a loose group were three police officers and a woman in slacks and a jacket that Hajime recognized as Kiyoko. Oikawa went to stand with them, leaving Hajime to hover uncertainly by the door.

“He’s here- Tobio is here. You remember my friend, Iwaizumi Hajime?” He seemed stressed, Hajime noted, speaking unnaturally. He attempted to catch Oikawa's gaze but he was busy glancing between Kiyoko and the cops.

Kiyoko gave a small nod, glancing them over.

Feeling small under their scrutiny, Hajime raised one hand in greeting. “Hi.”

A flash of orange caught his eye.

To the side of the group, through the open door into the living room, there was a small boy with ginger hair sitting on the couch. His legs swung absentmindedly as he ate a slice of toast with jelly on it. His eyes were fixed on the TV, where a volley game played. Hajime had never seen him before.

At the other end of the couch sat a man in casual clothing. He looked tall and intimidating, with a goatee and long hair, and Hajime wondered whether he was perhaps the source of the trouble.

Tobio's breathing had settled down slightly. Hajime noticed him staring at the boy and, after a moment’s pause, the boy glanced around as if his name had been called.

Almost shyly, he asked; “Oikawa? Can Kageyama and I go and play in the garden?”

Oikawa bit his lip, meeting Hajime’s gaze briefly. “I… Out back, just for a little while. And stay where I can see you both from the kitchen.”

“Yes!” The boy bounced to his feet, dashing out into the hallway. He stood in front of Tobio silently for a second, the two of them watching each other, and then he grabbed the other boy's arm and pulled him in the direction of the kitchen.

As soon as he heard the back door close, Hajime hissed; “Trashykawa, what’s going on?”

Oikawa moved over to stand next to him but did not answer, waving the question off with one hand. His troubled gaze did not leave Kiyoko, who remained speaking to the police in a low voice. The gap in their small circle where Oikawa had stood closed.

The man on the couch still hadn’t moved. He was rubbing his hands together nervously now, meeting Hajime’s gaze and then looking away again. The strange kid had abandoned his empty plate on the cushion next to him.

“Who is that?”, asked Hajime.

Oikawa finally looked away and in through the doorway. “Kiyoko’s new co-worker.” He frowned. “Come on, I need a drink.” Eyes flitting back toward the social worker, he amended; “Not that kind of drink, just- a drink.”

Hajime rolled his eyes. It appeared that no one was even listening.

He allowed Oikawa to tug him into the kitchen and watched as his friend ran a glass of water. It was rather rude of him not to offer one, but then Oikawa was always rude, and Hajime usually helped himself here anyway. He had done since they were younger.

When Oikawa turned the faucet off, he continued standing silently at the sink for several seconds, staring out of the window at the kids playing.

What was happening?

“Oikawa?” Hajime cleared his throat. “Oikawa?”

“Sorry.” One hand came up to run through mussed brown hair, and a glass was raised in one trembling hand to pale lips.

“What the hell is going on? You scared me with that call.”

Oikawa set his glass down on the counter. “You’re not going to believe me.”

“I never believe anything you say anyway.” Hajime took a breath. “What?”

“That boy-” Oikawa snorted, as though something was funny. Hajime was tempted to pull his own hair out. Oikawa pointed over his shoulder. “-is an alien.”

Shit.

That was it.

Oikawa had finally gone and lost his mind. All of the stress he had been under- oh, Hajime should have seen it sooner.

“What”, said Hajime.

“I know.”

“What the _fuck_ are you doing, Oikawa? Are you _trying_ to get Tobio taken away from you? Are you having a psychotic break?”

“Shut up! I know how it sounds, okay? But- it’s true. It’s true, Iwaizumi. He showed up at my house- Tobio can tell you- and they came for him-”

“What? Who?” A thought dawned on him. “The _police_?”

Had Oikawa kidnapped some random child? No, it couldn't have been; he would definitely have been arrested already. So then what-?

Frantically, Oikawa flapped his hands, indicating to Hajime to lower his volume. “No! I don’t know. Fuck. Fuck. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

Hajime spat; “Who _is_ he?”

“His name is Hinata. Like I told you, he showed up at my house. I don’t know where he came from, really.” He kept glancing over his shoulder. “All I know is he said he had a ship, and he- he does things people can’t do, Iwa-chan.” Oikawa stepped closer. Hajime regarded him suspiciously, wondering whether to back away. This was the kind of shit Oikawa would have come up with when they were teenagers, but not now, and not with the police involved. “I don’t know _what_ he is.”

The children were playing over his shoulder, tossing a ball back and forth between them.

Looking back to Oikawa, Hajime commented, his arms folded; “He seems pretty normal to me.”

Oikawa didn’t say anything. He sniffed and, peering closer, Hajime saw teardrops gathering in his eyes, turning them glassy.

He could count on one hand the number of times he had seen Oikawa cry since they left school, and all of those had been since the death of his mother and stepfather.

“Are you crying? Oikawa, are you- are you okay? Is there something…”

“You don’t believe me. Nobody is going to believe me, and they’re going to take Tobio away.” The tears still did not spill, but they did clog his throat so that his voice came out thick and low.

Before anything else, Oikawa was Hajime’s best friend. Things may have been a little awkward recently: Oikawa had been understandably stressed and a little whiny- more whiny than normal- and they hadn’t really been able to hang out outside of work. But Hajime had promised Oikawa that he would be there for him, and he had done his best. He had helped Oikawa to find a job, and he had given him as much support as he could.

So he raised his arms and pulled Oikawa into them. “Come here, idiot…”

Besides, he didn’t know all of the facts yet. He should refrain from passing judgment until he could speak to Kiyoko and the police. Oikawa was here, and he was safe, and so was Tobio, and that was what really mattered.

Oikawa’s breath was hot against his neck. He stayed still momentarily before his strong arms came up to wrap about Hajime’s shoulders.

Hajime watched through the window behind them as a familiar battered volleyball arced against the sky, coming back down to land in Tobio’s small yet sure hands, before bouncing back to the boy- Hinata. It hit him in the face, and he burst into tears. Tobio gave a grin that Hajime could only class as evil.

A shrill scream sounded. “Oikawa!”

Hajime had a sneaking suspicion that he was going to be the one dealing with that.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is just a bit of a shorter chapter that doesn't really progress the plot much, but I thought it would kind of get the ball rolling (pun intended) on the actual volleyball elements of the plot.
> 
> Also, just as a warning, there is one paragraph in here that contains some descriptions of a car accident. So if anyone wants to skip that, don't read the paragraph after the word 'Destroyed.'

“I’m sorry I hit you in the face, okay? You didn’t need to be a baby about it.”

Tobio glared balefully over the ball in his hands to where Hinata sat against the tree in the garden. He couldn’t believe the weird boy was still sulking over it. He kept his head down, brushing at the remnants of tears on his face.

Iwaizumi had even said it was only going to bruise. It wasn’t like he had broken his nose or anything.

“Come on”, Tobio urged, bouncing the ball once against the grass and then stooping slightly to catch it where it did not bounce back as high, muted by the impact against the soft ground. “I get hit in the face playing volleyball all the time.”

“You do?” Hinata seemed to finally stop his crying, and Tobio was momentarily relieved until he continued; “What, do you suck or something?”

Tobio felt his mouth drop open. He was one of the best in his year! In his school!

All he could come up with was; “No, you suck.” He lobbed the ball in Hinata’s direction, blinking when a hand shot out to catch it and then retracted into his hunched over form, the ball being drawn into the boy’s chest. He had good reflexes, Tobio had to admit.

Relaxing a little when Hinata did not say anything else, Tobio corrected his earlier statement; “I _used_ to get hit in the face a lot. When I was younger. Mostly by my brother. But now I’m good, so I don’t. Unless it’s a really intense match.”

Hinata raised his head, his eyes narrowed suspiciously. Tobio met his gaze unflinchingly. After a minute of silence, he felt his fingers beginning to itch.

“Do you want to play volleyball with me now?”, he demanded, shuffling from foot to foot. There was no point just standing around talking.

The boy did not change his expression.

Tobio sighed. Tooru and Iwaizumi were still watching through the kitchen window, so he probably couldn’t do what he wanted to do and grab Hinata by the hair to yank him to his feet.

He had half a mind to put the ball away and just go inside. Maybe there was a game on the TV he could watch.

But, at the same time, Tobio couldn’t be sure when he would have another opportunity like this: Someone else who liked volleyball, who had- up until just now- been perfectly willing to practice with him. He could not pass up that opportunity.

“I’m sorry I hit you”, he grumbled.

“Apology not accepted.”

The ball shot past Tobio’s right shoulder, landing somewhere in the grass behind him with a soft thud.

“Don’t do that!”, Tobio protested, shooting a dirty look at Hinata before he scurried to fetch the ball. This boy had the nerve to come into his house and treat him like this? Hopefully, when Kiyoko left she would be taking him with her.

Oh; that was right. He had been so wrapped up in the volleyball that he had almost forgotten the drama he had come home to.

He had been terrified, before. Terrified that something would have happened to Tooru, (like it had happened to mom and dad; like it had happened to grandpa) but Tooru had been fine. He usually was. And so Tobio had stopped worrying, especially when Hinata dragged him outside to play and some semblance of normality settled back in. Whatever was going on, it had gotten him out of school, at least, so he couldn’t be too upset about it.

As he reached for the ball, he asked; “What happened today anyway? Why are all those people here?”

Hinata didn’t speak for a moment. Then he clambered to his feet and faced Tobio.

“My mom came to get me. But there was also this scary guy with a gun.”

Tobio looked at him for any signs that he was lying, but there was none that he could tell. He felt his eyes widening. Wow. Was Hinata really some kind of crime family or something? That explained why the police were there, at least.

Had Hinata’s mom gone away and left him behind again? But why would she do that?

"Tobio?”

“Huh?”

Tobio swung back around. Hinata was still staring at him, brown eyes wide and oddly-proportioned face pinched.

“Where is _your_ mom?”

Every muscle froze in Tobio’s body and his gaze flickered down to the ball in his hands. Suddenly he was aware of the wind brushing at his clothes, of the grass tickling at his ankles.

“They died. My mom and dad.”

“Died?”

Tobio focused on the grass in front of him. “There was a car accident.”

Hinata made a soft noise that almost sounded like, “Oh.”

Looking up once more, Tobio took in the look on the other boy’s face: Lost, confused, and miserable. Tobio wanted to yell at him: If anything, he was the one who was supposed to be feeling those things. They were his parents. Yet he knew from experience that, once he started yelling, he probably would not stop. Besides, Kiyoko was there, and that meant being on his best behavior.

The smaller boy’s hands came up to wrap around his stomach. Tobio thought, for a second, that he was miming being ill. Only he stared up at Tobio and asked, voice hollow; “Is that like destruction?”

Destruction? Tobio couldn't remember where he had heard that word. Not at school. Probably on TV, spoken by a supervillain planning to lure the hero to their demise or destroy a building full of innocent people. He felt only a vague grasp of what it actually meant, nothing tangible.

“I guess so”, he shrugged, and then the word began to conjure images with it, and Tobio felt his stomach flip.

He did know that word.

Destroyed.

Maybe that was the best word for what had happened to his parents’ bodies. He remembered it sometimes, mainly at night. The blood that he didn’t realize was blood until afterward because blood wasn’t supposed to be that dark and have _bits_ in it, it was meant to be bright red like in cartoons. The unnatural angles, the glassy eyes that did not blink. Tooru had tried to hide Tobio’s face against his chest, only Tobio had peeked; the natural curiosity of a boy going against his older brother’s instructions.

“Why would you even ask that?”, he choked out. His pulse raced in his ears so that he almost did not hear Hinata's response.

“I- I was meant to be destroyed.”

Tobio tilted his head. Hinata was not looking at him at all as he spoke, his small hands balled into fists.

So maybe he really was from that kind of place. The yakuza or somewhere.

Tobio wasn’t sure how he was feeling, but he knew he didn’t feel angry at Hinata anymore for not knowing that kind of stuff. Even if a lot of it was common knowledge and stuff he should know. If he had been raised in a place like that, he couldn’t help being stupid. He probably just wasn’t taught.

Taking a deep breath, Tobio said; “When you die it means you can’t come back. So, it is like when you destroy something. It gets broken and it can’t come back.”

A horrified look took over Hinata’s face, and he curled in on himself, sinking down onto his haunches. His hands came up and locked into his bright strands of hair, and his head shook from side to side.

Alarm shot through Tobio, and he approached, standing over the boy with his arms locked about the ball, holding it to his own chest.

“Hinata? Hinata?”

Glancing over his shoulder, he confirmed that Tooru and Iwaizumi had their backs to them, talking to someone inside. Tobio already hated that he had gotten into trouble with them for hurting Hinata: He didn’t want to make things even worse.

“Hinata?”

The boy finally looked up at him.

Ah.

Tobio had not thought this far.

Not knowing what else to say, he offered; Do you want me to teach you to play volleyball? Properly, I mean.”

A tiny nod of confirmation had him relaxing.

“Okay. Come stand next to me, then.”

Hinata did as he was told. At least he listened, sometimes, it appeared. When Tobio’s instructions were clear. They had that in common, he guessed; Tobio preferred it when people spoke to him straightforwardly.

Rocking his weight between each leg to warm up a little, Tobio asked; “Remember how the spikers hit the ball on TV?”

“Ooh! Like wa-bam and swoosh!” Hinata mimed leaping and smacking the ball with his palm. Tobio was startled by the sudden turn in his mood, but also glad. It was better than his prior sniffling.

“… Yes. Like that.” He twirled the ball in his fingers and noticed when Hinata’s eyes latched onto it. “Well, I’m going to throw the ball for you. You try and hit it.”

Hinata might not get it very well on his first try, Tobio thought. He might not even be able to hit it. Not everyone could, but Tobio remembered what his grandfather used to tell him: Everyone moved at their own pace. Just because you didn’t get something right away, didn’t mean that you wouldn’t get it the next time, or the time after that.

Still, if Hinata missed, he was ready to gloat a little.

Tobio prepared. He was not really used to setting the ball from standing still, with it in his hands already; it used to be that grandpa or Tooru (or Kindaichi or Kunimi, his brain reminded him) would bump it to him first. But he looked to Hinata and stepped into position, ball tensed under his palms. It felt normal. It felt good.

Everything else fell away as he tried to decide whether to give Hinata an easy toss to hit or not. He probably should. But… As his grandfather used to say, just because someone didn’t hit it the first time didn’t mean they wouldn’t get it the next time. Tobio could introduce him to that concept early on. Give him a quick toss, just this once, and then go easy on him later.

Squatting slightly, he aimed, and then felt the ball rocket away from him as he propelled it forward with his fingertips raising up, almost rolling down his hands and toward the sky.

It was a quick set. The kind of thing Tobio would do in an actual match when they were playing to win. Not the kind of set you gave to someone who had never played before.

Any gloating that he might have done was immediately knocked from his mind.

Hinata tensed up, pushing up on the balls of his feet and springing high, high, high through the air. Higher than even Tobio could jump.

How was that possible for someone that small?

Tobio’s mouth dropped open. His form- it was almost perfect. His back arched, his hand reached up, and then-

A resounding slapping noise sounded as Hinata’s palm came into contact with the ball, and it found its way to the earth so swiftly that Tobio had trouble following its trajectory with his eyes. It ricocheted back up, striking the tree, and then came to rest down by the fence at the end of the garden.

Wa-bam, swoosh, indeed.

Once the shock had faded, Tobio’s gut instinct was fear. He had known Hinata was weird, sure. The way he had swallowed down that food so quickly the night before, the way he looked, the way he spoke- it all screamed abnormal. But this was something he couldn’t overlook because it was something he _knew_. Hinata should not have been able to hit the ball that hard. It was a miracle. Or a fluke. Or Tobio was having some kind of medical emergency and all the strange ongoings were really just his hallucinations.

Then, seeing the excited grin on Hinata’s face as velvety eyes whizzed from ball to palm and from palm to Tobio, it was replaced by excitement.

There had to be a way that kind of attack could be used in a game. If it wasn't a fluke of course. And- Tobio found himself grinning- with how strange Hinata was, he didn't think that was the case.

Kitagawa Daiichi Middle School’s opponents were not going to know what hit them.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyy, hope your day's going well! :)))) I'm still a little bogged down with assignments (although most are done, we've managed to get extensions for the final two, given that we're in the middle of a pandemic and all) and have also started dissertation workshops so will probably still be uploading slowly for the next week or so until those are done. Having said that, I am hoping to upload another (probably quite short) chapter in the next few days.
> 
> Stay safe and have a lovely weekend! :D

Daichi had to admit that Sugawara was right: It was far warmer and more comfortable in here than it had been on the ship.

Earth décor certainly was strange, though. Compared to the brilliant colors of the previous hotel which they had briefly stopped at, this place seemed almost devoid of any pigments at all, as though it had all been washed away and all that was left were beige walls and pale cream bedspreads.

Sighing, he looked down at his arm. It didn’t hurt so much anymore. Whatever Sugawara had done had helped, truly.

When he glanced back up, he caught two pairs of eyes staring back at him from under creased eyebrows, wide and tainted with nerves.

The two members of his home colony that they had met- Nishinoya and Tanaka, as they identified themselves- were each sat at the end of one of the two beds in the room. The beds were made from some soft spongy material that didn’t seem as though they would be very good for a species of vertebrae’s backs: Nishinoya and Tanaka seemed almost to be sinking into them. They had been watching Daichi quietly as he paced back and forth.

He ought to report them; but, as they had said, they were not really causing any harm to the local population. Although it was illegal, Daichi knew that a lot of young people in their colony and some of the other neighboring ones did go on such trips to uncontacted planets after graduation, all in the name of having an adventure. Besides, Daichi had bigger criminals to catch. These two delinquents were not a threat. Not like that child was.

The sound of one of those heavy wooden doors swinging open gave him pause in his pacing. Sugawara emerged from the tiny private bathroom- Daichi had figured that, after Sugawara had helped him, he could at least trust him to use that alone- wiping at his face with a white piece of cloth. The silvery marks on his face stood out prominently: He must have gotten rid of the makeup. His skin and hair had taken on a subtle soft glow.

Blinking, his pupils shrinking in the dim light of the room, he looked at where Daichi stood between the beds. “So, what now, Sawamura?”

He sounded rather cheerful, even with everything that had happened. Daichi stared at him for a moment before replying.

“I need to report back. Let them know I’ve been injured.”

“And what are you going to tell them?”

Daichi shook his head. What did Sugawara expect him to say? He would have to report all that had occurred since they landed.

He bit his tongue before he could ask the question that had come to mind: Sugawara wasn’t to know. Slowly, he inhaled a deep breath. He needed to remain calm, especially if he was about to speak to Washijou.

“That I engaged with the creature”, he said after a moment’s pause, “and it attacked me.”

Sugawara blinked. “He was only-”

With a single look from Daichi, he fell silent, flopping onto one of the beds and lying back. He shuffled about slightly, his sweater riding up a little, to look at Tanaka, who watched him warily from the foot of the bed.

“Thank you for letting us stay here”, the prisoner murmured. “It’s nice.”

“No problem”, said Tanaka.

One by one, three pairs of eyes turned to look at Daichi, and he took an abrupt step in the direction of the bathroom.

“I need to report what happened to the Hub.”

Nishinoya tilted his head. “You won’t tell them about us, will you?” He did not sound at all concerned, more curious, Daichi noted.

It would have been easy to torment them, to tell them he would think about it, only Daichi honestly didn’t have the energy at that moment. Also, it was probably best not to freak them out too much when he had no intention of doing so. They were scared enough already.

He shook his head. “No. I’m not going to report you.”

A few seconds later, he had locked himself inside of the bathroom. It was bright inside, and the multifaceted lights seemed somehow different in there, throwing him off momentarily with the rainbow that burst red-green-blue across his vision. It did not help that there was a sharp smell; some kind of cleaning product, he assumed. It stung his eyes a little.

Outside came a ringing laugh that he recognized as Sugawara’s, and a moment after the man asked, his voice coming through the wall muffled; “Is he really going to call the Judge from a hotel bathroom?”

It was a little ridiculous. Maybe the hotel had been a bad idea after all. But Sugawara had made it sound so appealing…

Turning away from the door and the sound of the laughter with a huff, he grabbed at one of the white cloths that were similar to the one Sugawara had held and used it to plug the gap underneath the door, somewhat muting the faint noises.

Once he was satisfied, he pulled out his transmitter. A different sort of nerves took over him as he waited to be connected.

Just as Daichi was shuffling against the wall, brushing one hand through his hair to appear as composed as possible, Washijou’s wizened face, complete with rounded eyes and heavyset eyebrows, filled the screen. Daichi dropped his hand.

“Sawamura”, he greeted simply, with a jerk of his chin.

Daichi almost exhaled at the sense of familiarity which washed over him. He had been on difficult missions before and reporting back- knowing that there was somebody out there waiting to hear from him, who would be concerned at his absence and who could send help- was always a relief.

“Washijou, sir.”

“Why are you calling? Have you managed to locate the creature?”

“We located it. However, when I tried to approach it, it became hostile and I was injured. We were forced to leave the scene to avoid causing further damage to the local environment.”

The Judge took it all in silently, before nodding, one finger coming up to rest against his chin.

He asked; “Do you require treatment?”

“No, sir.” Daichi barely even felt the sting now. “It was a minor injury only, thankfully. The prisoner aided me in dressing the wound.”

“I suppose he had to be useful for something.” Washijou exhaled, and a long silence passed. “Where is the prisoner?”

An uncomfortable feeling prickled under Daichi’s skin suddenly, the kind that made his clothes feel too tight. Would the Judge reprimand him for turning his back on Sugawara? But Sugawara would not run, he was fairly confident of that. And, besides, he was sure he could trust Tanaka and Nishinoya. To some extent, anyway. Perhaps it was merely that they came from the same colony, but Daichi somehow felt that he could read them like open books. If he had any reason to be concerned about their involvement, he would send them home. Not that he was planning to involve them much further either way; just until he and Sugawara had rested and established a plan for moving ahead.

Weakly gesturing with his injured arm, Daichi informed him; “He’s just outside. I didn’t want him to overhear any of our conversation.”

“That’s probably wise. Did he assist you in attempting to capture the creature?”

“Yes”, he answered quickly. “We almost had h- it. I’m afraid to report that it was my recklessness that cost us that chance.” He dipped his head slightly, hoping that the look of regret on his face was clear on the Judge’s end.

Washijou narrowed his eyes. “And now it knows you’re after it… Sawamura, if you feel you are unsuited for this mission or unwilling to continue, speak now, and I will send Ushijima in.”

Daichi’s head shot up. “I… I thought he was following up on the lead about The Monster.”

The finger against Washijou’s chin was joined by his other hand as they laced together in front of his face, the intense stare above piercing through both of their screens and straight toward Daichi. “That is so; however, he can be diverted to another mission if necessary. Half of his team are already on standby there. And this creature is unknown, and therefore dangerous.”

That final sentence was completed in Daichi’s mind before Washijou could even speak the words: The mantra of the training academy. What was unknown was dangerous and must either be determined or destroyed. Fortunately, it was often the former, but the latter was the specialty of the department Daichi had gone into, for one reason only: To protect others, to protect the world, from anything like this occurring.

He took in a deep breath.

“I will capture it, sir. I did so before and I can do it again.” His fingers scrabbled against the cold tiles behind his back as he remembered that night. The creature had appeared to be only a small child, asleep in a bed in the corner of Sugawara’s base in the dark, before he- or any of them- were aware of what it really was. He had barely spared it a glance then, had only heard the reports afterward of how one of the other teams struggling to contain it once he had taken Sugawara away.

“Very well. Ensure you do so, swiftly and inconspicuously. Rumors of its escape are beginning to spread, and I do not wish for this to be the spark that ignites a blaze of panic.”

“As you wish, sir.”

“And make a brief report for the lab. Let them know which abilities it displayed, and how the creature behaved. They may be able to make something of it.”

Before Daichi could even give an affirmative response, he was gone.

Daichi sat in the bathroom for a minute longer, then tucked his transmitter away, removed the cloth from under the door, and headed out into the bedroom.

Sugawara still lounged on the bed where Tanaka sat perched at the end, looking down at his hands. Nishinoya was the only one who had changed position, spreadeagled on the other bed with his arms and legs sticking out to either side and his spiked hair sticking straight up against the sheets.

“It’s just so cool that you’re here right now”, Nishinoya was saying. “Well, not cool, but crazy. We should take a picture together before you go, nobody is ever going to believe that I met a real famous criminal otherwise.”

“Really?” Sugawara chuckled, his velvety brown eyes rolling over to meet Nishinoya’s. “Okay!”

Daichi gritted his teeth. “No pictures.”

Tanaka finally looked up. Quieter and calmer than he had been since they had first run into him, he asked, his gaze boring into Daichi’s; “Were you really trying to kidnap a kid?”

The calm was a façade. The panic underneath was almost palpable. Daichi realized how it had to look: Him, traveling with a known criminal, asking two wayward tourists if they could hang out in their hotel room for a while.

Speaking gently yet firmly, Daichi responded, “It’s not a child. It was created by Sugawara. It’s a dangerous mutant."

“Hinata’s not mutated, I created him.” The previously boisterous energy that had surrounded Sugawara seemed to have evaporated, and a tinge of sorrow danced at Daichi’s skin.

“So, what’s the plan, Sawamura?”, Nishinoya demanded, sitting upright and folding his legs. He appeared even smaller curled in on himself like that, in the center of the bed.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, if we help you catch this thing, then we’re heroes, right Ryuu?”

He shuffled to the edge of the bed, swinging his legs over and then scooting even further forward to kick at his friend’s leg. Tanaka reacted hesitantly, looking first to Daichi and then to Nishinoya.

“Right.” Whatever he had been biting his tongue over seemed to swell up, and as he clenched his fists, Daichi prepared himself for the coming outburst. “But I just don’t think it’s right to go kidnapping a kid out of nowhere, mutant or not!”

Sugawara sat up beside Tanaka, raising one finger. “He’s not a mutant.”

“No”, Daichi said adamantly. “We don’t need your help with this.” This was dangerous. They had to understand that.

“Oh, come on!”, Nishinoya bounced on the bed. “What else are we going to do here? Go to the beach? Sample some local food? This will be way more exciting!”

“It’s not supposed to be exciting, it’s a high-risk mission.”

A quiet voice said, “You got hurt before.”

Daichi looked down to see Sugawara watching him carefully. The man shrugged.

“I’m just saying, maybe we could use some help.”

Well, if it had moved on after their encounter, they may need help to try and track him again. And it would be useful to have someone on their side that Hinata did not recognize.

He looked from Nishinoya, who was still watching with earnest eyes, to Tanaka.

“Tanaka?”

“Huh?”

Daichi swallowed. “If you help us, you’d be doing this world a great service. That creature is volatile, capable of injuring multiple adults. Even if you don’t agree with the decision to destroy it, we cannot allow it to run wild among an uncontacted civilization. I would understand if you do not wish to help us, in which case I would ask that you go home and do not speak of this.”

Tanaka’s fists tightened. “Hell am I going home! You’re right. If it's the right thing to do, I'm in.”

“Yeah!”, Nishinoya cheered, and Tanaka reached over to slap their forearms together.

“But how are we going to catch it?”, Tanaka asked, turning back to face Daichi.

How indeed? Daichi thought for several seconds.

“We should lay low for a while”, he decided. “We know where the creature is- or was recently- so we can track it again and observe it for any opportunities that present themselves while getting more of an idea of what we’re up against. I’d like to observe it interacting with the human it was with, also.”

The fact that it was interacting with a human was concerning. What if Hinata- the creature- was holding him hostage? Or was somehow mentally manipulating him?”

“Sounds like a plan”, Nishinoya agreed. Daichi was beginning to like him: Even if it was a little worrying the way he seemed happy to go along with them. The young man turned to Tanaka and began to speak in a rushed, low voice.

A sigh escaped Daichi’s lips as his thoughts turned back to the plan. Washijou was right: They were at a disadvantage now that Hinata knew they were there and had made it clear that he was unwilling to come with them. All they could do now was try to catch him at a moment when he was alone or had his guard down.

He noticed that Sugawara was still watching him. When their eyes met, that same ripple of sorrow raced across him, and for some reason he found himself thinking not of when they had first met, but of Ikejiri, of how he had broken down after a particularly tough mission during their training. He had not been the only one. Daichi had held it together long enough to comfort his friend before slipping away and crossing Michimiya in the halls, also doing her best not to sob.

Even if Sugawara was their prisoner, and had broken the law, he still deserved to have someone listen to him when he was hurting. Today certainly couldn’t have been fun for him. Maybe Daichi had been a little insensitive so far.

Daichi joined him, taking a seat on Sugawara’s other side and listening to Nishinoya and Tanaka’s excited chattering.

“How are you feeling?”, he asked. “You weren’t injured, were you?” Sugawara hadn’t mentioned it so far, but they hadn’t exactly had a lot of time to evaluate what had happened.

“Hm?” Sugawara’s smile was wide, forcing his eyes closed. “No, I’m quicker than that.”

He chuckled, his face shining brilliantly. Daichi had half a mind to shield himself from the glow.

“Do you have more of that makeup on you? You might need to reapply it before we leave here.”

Sugawara nodded and opened his mouth to speak; before he could, however, Tanaka leaned in toward them. “You two can stay here if you like.”

“We can?” Sugawara turned to look at Daichi.

He had to admit, the thought of trekking back to the forest and climbing into the cold ship was not exactly appealing.

Warily, he looked from Tanaka to Nishinoya. “Only if you’re sure. And if there’s enough space.” He glanced about: The room was quite cramped with the four of them.

“Of course!” Nishinoya sprung to his feet. “I saw some mats somewhere, and there are spare blankets in the cupboard over there.”

As they watched, he made his way over to a tall wooden cabinet of some sort and yanked the door open. A bunch of blankets and various cloths immediately spilled out and fell down on top of him, ricocheting from his shoulders to the floor.

Nishinoya jumped, twisting to get away, and tripped over, landing flat on his face with a strangled yelp.

Immediately Tanaka and Sugawara burst into peals of laughter, and Daichi fought his own smile at the bubble of amusement which built up in his chest. He cast a suspicious look toward Sugawara, but he was too busy being caught up in his own mirth: If he was interfering at all, it did not appear to be intentional.

The mats were found tucked away at the back of the cabinet, which was bare aside from two shirts- matching- which Tanaka and Nishinoya claimed to be ‘lucky’ and which had Sugawara dissolving once more into fits of laughter. Daichi supposed he could forgive it; it wasn’t as though Sugawara had had much stimulation lately.

They were still acting like it was all a game, but he couldn’t find it in himself to get mad. Not when it reminded him of times at the academy with Michimiya and Ikejiri and other friends, and when the three of them started at the Hub together, separated from the others who had not made the cut or who had been sent to other destinations. How they would laugh together on nights before they were sent off under the supervision of their commanding officer.

He’d missed that, really, since his promotion. He didn’t know why he was thinking of that now, not when he was so far away and in a strange land. He must have exhausted his brain.

He would have to write that report to the lab in the morning.

They rolled the mats out onto the floor at the foot of each bed, and Sugawara patiently held his wrists out for Daaichi to cuff him before wriggling back into his own pile of blankets. Somewhere above, it sounded as though Nishinoya was already snoring softly.

“Thank you again for this”, Daichi murmured sleepily as he slid back onto his mat and received a small grunt and a ‘no problem’ from Tanaka.

No, this hadn’t been a bad idea at all. Although not a bed, he felt warmth coming from under the floor, and the blankets were soft and comforting, long enough to envelop his whole body.

Practically as soon as he was comfortable on the mat, he passed out, Sugawara dozing peacefully a few feet away.


	14. Chapter 14

Asahi had not realized that the police had left until the children came running back into the room and asked him where they were.

In fact, he had been zoned out for some time, and it was only the feeling of being watched that had him returning to reality. His eyes flickered about the room, coming to rest on two curious gazes standing by the end of the couch.

Without any preamble, the taller of the two boys- the one who actually lived here, he thought- asked; “Who are you?”

Asahi mustered a cheerful smile. After all, if they were there, what might these kids have been through?

“I’m a social worker”, he answered. “I work with Shimizu.”

The dark-haired boy tilted his head, eyes narrowing. “You don’t look like a social worker.”

Asahi couldn’t say it was the first time he’d heard that. Ever since beginning in this line of work, it was all he had heard. For a moment he considered asking them what he did look like, before realizing he probably should not take career advice from a child.

Something bright caught his eye. Glancing down, he noticed that the small boy was staring up at him, honey-brown eyes wide and head tilted. It was sweet, in a way.

Hesitantly, Asahi gave the kid an encouraging smile, lips quivering while he tried to recall what they had told him in training.

The child asked, voice bright; “Have you ever killed anyone?”

“I- er- no.”

“Of course he hasn’t killed anyone, idiot, he’s a social worker!”, the other boy snapped, rounding on his- friend? Asahi wasn't quite sure.

“That’s right.” He gave a hurried nod. “I’m a _social worker_.” As soon as he spoke, he realized how suspicious the emphasis and repetition must have sounded, but it was too late now.

He was unsure why Kiyoko had told him to sit here and wait for her, yet now it felt rather appropriate. Asahi probably belonged here, sitting with the kids, rather than having an actual adult conversation. Did Kiyoko think that she was just babysitting him? Was his doing this job having any kind of impact at all?

Oblivious to Asahi’s inner turmoil, the taller boy turned back to him and asked; “Where are the police?”

“Are they not in the hall?” Asahi leaned forward to see for himself.

He shrugged. “Don’t think so.”

Well, that was bizarre. Asahi relaxed back onto the couch.

What had Kiyoko said to them? He had seen them speaking, Kiyoko’s face intense. They had found that boy in their house, right? The short one? So why the sudden commotion?

And where on Earth had that hole in the ceiling come from? Asahi had been staring at it ever since they arrived. It wasn’t even where something had fallen through or where the material had rotted away. It almost appeared to have been burnt in a perfect circle, with the edges charred black. But, apparently, nobody else was concerned about that.

Asahi stood. “I’m going to go into the kitchen and find out what’s going on. You two wait here.”

Carefully, he made his way into the hallway, glancing about for any sign of life, and then crossed into the kitchen. Inside, Kiyoko and Oikawa were standing in the middle of the room, talking quietly. The other man who had arrived, the one with spiky dark hair, was leaning against the counters and watching quietly with his arms folded.

As he entered, he cleared his throat, and they all paused to look at him.

“Did the police leave?”

Kiyoko nodded, smiling a little. “Yes.”

“Oh.”

“As I was saying, Oikawa”, Kiyoko continued, and Asahi felt a little bad upon the realization that he had interrupted her mid-sentence, although she herself didn’t seem overly bothered, “it looks as though you’re doing a good job with Hina. I’m not concerned about that.”

“I’m more concerned about the men who broke into my house with a gun and tried to abduct him”, the young man said, and Asahi winced. That had to have been horrific to go through.

“The police will be on the lookout for the suspects you described”, she replied calmly.

Oikawa glanced momentarily toward the other man, and then back to Kiyoko. Asahi swore he could see one of his eyelids twitching. “Listen, I really think there’s something weird-”

She cut across him. “I will also be attempting to locate the boy’s parents. Until then, I am confident that he will be safe with you.”

Asahi frowned at her. What?

“I really don’t think-”, Oikawa tried again.

“Kiyoko…” Asahi coughed a little. “I’m not sure- I’m not sure we should.” He meant to say that he didn’t think it was protocol, only he did not want to say that in front of these strangers.

“It’s okay, Asahi.” She shot him a reassuring smile. “I’m going to get to the bottom of this.” She looked to Oikawa, raising one eyebrow. “I can ask to have your home placed under surveillance if that’s better for you.”

Oikawa considered, folding his arms and shifting his weight from one foot to another.

Finally, miserably, he said; “Maybe.”

Kiyoko nodded. “Think it over.”

The other man, who had until that point remained silent, spoke up, his voice harsh; “But what if they come back?”

“Don’t open the door unless it’s somebody you know. And if you see or hear anything suspicious, contact me right away.”

Oikawa looked from Kiyoko to Asahi and back in a way that could only be described as sulky. “Okay.”

When Kiyoko turned and walked through to the hall, Asahi followed on her heels, not wanting to be caught alone in the kitchen with the men.

As they passed the living room, he caught the eye of the small orange-haired boy, and he waved a little. The boy smiled, and Asahi breathed an internal sigh of relief. Perhaps he wasn’t as bad at this as he had thought.

Once they were outside and safely strapped in the car, Asahi found himself staring out of the window and back at the house. Somehow, leaving that child there hadn’t felt right.

Was he going to have to report Kiyoko for this? Or maybe report was a strong word, but at least to mention it? He should, shouldn’t he?

But then, the police had agreed with whatever it was she had said. And, other than this one strange encounter, Kiyoko seemed perfect for the job, always putting the children first and easing adults’ fears. Asahi also didn’t have the feeling that either of the children in the house was in danger; at least, not from Oikawa or the other man, anyway. Yet that feeling in his gut, that something was incredibly wrong, was unshakeable.

The best thing to do would be to ask Kiyoko directly, he decided. Yes, that was best.

It was several minutes before Asahi worked up the courage to speak.

“Why are you leaving the kid with them?”, he blurted out, just as they turned a sharp corner.

Kiyoko stared at the road without answering for what felt a long time. Asahi could understand that, though. That had probably been the worst possible moment to distract her with such a question.

“He will be safe there until I can be completely sure of what’s going on”, she answered calmly, and then glanced at him from behind her glasses. “Did you see the holes in the ceiling?”

Holes? Asahi had only seen one.

He nodded.

“Something else is happening there. Asahi, I’m just going to need you to trust me for now.”

Asahi swallowed. That wasn’t ominous at all.

They turned another corner. They were only around ten minutes away from their next visit, a woman who lived out of town with her children. She had escaped an abusive partner. When they had visited previously, on Asahi’s first day shadowing Kiyoko, she had been reluctant to allow Asahi into the house, quite understandably, and so he had waited outside. It had not been too bad: There was a nice swing that he had used to pass the time, waving at the dog that had been cooped up in the backyard. He half-hoped the same would happen today. Still; before he could think about that, he wanted the truth.

Stammering, Asahi began; “Uhhhh… Kiyoko, is- is there s-something you’re not t…”

She looked at him once more, her face blank yet also questioning, and he closed his mouth. Kiyoko nodded to herself.

For the rest of the drive, Asahi clung to the handle of the car door and dreamed about a life as a fashion designer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this chapter is a little short, but I sort of wanted to wrap this part of the story up and move onto the next bit :) I don't think I'll be posting another chapter for about a week also, just due to assignments and wanting to work on other writing that I've been behind on, but I will be back :D As always thank you for reading, and hope you've had a great day!!!
> 
> [Also, Asahi's brain throughout this entire chapter is just](https://imgur.com/a/g6bWo6W)


	15. Chapter 15

The tray of soil samples clattered onto the work station. Suguru heaved a sigh.

As far as he could tell, there was nothing in here that was going to reveal any new information to them. The ranger who had brought the samples back from the previously unexplored planet in System GH460 had been overly excited for no reason at all, it seemed. Suguru would pass them over to Kuroo so that he too could take a look, but it was bound to be a waste of time.

For a moment he debated as to whether or not to tell Kuroo that he thought it was nothing or to let him waste his own time poring over them, before settling on giving his own report first. It was probably for the best; everyone on the Hub seemed to be in an especially bad mood right now, and Suguru was fed up with it.

Ever since Daichi had left, it felt as though Washijou had been on the warpath, and anybody in his way was going to get scolded. Even Soekawa, whom he had always seemed to favor previously, had been chewed out that morning. The Judge had wandered about the ship and found him trying to fix up some of the damage caused, apparently, in a way Washijou didn’t like. Or so Suguru had heard.

He and his friends had therefore been keeping a low profile.

His friends.

Suguru sighed. They felt few and far between at the moment. He had always been the type of guy who watched his own back, looked out for himself, did his best- although he was sure Kuroo would argue otherwise- to maintain his professionalism in the face of adversity.

Kazuma and Isumi had gone off on a mission together to some far-flung corner of the universe. Suguru had the feeling that even they didn’t know what they were meant to be doing. Kouji and Yoshiya, meanwhile, were working with a group on one of the other stations for the time being- mandatory training- and Kuguri had been sent to work in the lower-deck prison, preparing meals, as punishment for napping on the job; Suguru had warned him about that. Even Shirabu, who Suguru was not especially close with but who he sometimes talked to since they were often in the lab together, had gone away on a mission. Suguru had often thought Shirabu was lucky that Ushijima had picked him to work as part of his team. On the one occasion that he had voiced that opinion, however, Shirabu had merely shrugged.

Worst of all: Mika was not around. She was also on a mission. Suguru was incredibly proud of her, of course: Not everyone could do what she did, going undercover and using her abilities to blend in to gather information about any threats to the existence of the galaxy. When she wasn't around, he missed her; that was all.

He was still staring at the samples. This was not getting him anywhere.

The forms for logging their findings within the soil were in the back cupboard, he remembered. Slowly, Suguru made his way over and dug them out: They had been flung in there haphazardly. It didn’t even look as though they had been charged; he was going to have to go through and boot them up to find one that worked and that he could connect to the database. He gritted his teeth. He was going to find out who had put them back like this and-

No. The last time he had blown up at someone, Mika had heard about it. And when Mika heard about that kind of thing, she didn’t get angry: She got worried. That was somehow even worse, watching her face tense up as she tried to figure out what it was that was bothering him, positing that maybe, deep down, he was upset over something she had done, when in reality the sole cause of his stress was the spiky dark-haired thorn in his side named Kuroo.

Honestly, why had he even decided to start working in the lab? Was it just to torment Suguru? He had been working perfectly fine in the field gathering samples. They had even had a cordial relationship at that point, with Kuroo passing everything he had gathered to Suguru and continuing on his merry way. So he really-

Suguru nearly dropped the files that he had gathered up when something touched his arm, and a startled hiss escaped through his throat that devolved into a yelp when he saw that it was only Terushima.

“Yo, Daishou.” The young ranger leaned against the wall of the closet with his arms folded. The metal studs that were common among his species rapped at the surface when he shifted, tapping up a pattern.

Struggling to collect the documents, now a scattered mess drooping over his forearms drooping at various angles, Suguru snapped; “What the fuck do you want?”

“Yikes, chill. The Judge wants to see you. Thought I’d let you know.”

He exhaled. Perfect. What a way to make his day.

With a resounding thud, he allowed the files to drop back into the box he had retrieved them from.

“Did he say what he wanted?”

“Nope. Not a clue. Didn’t sound too mad though, so you could be lucky.”

“Alright. Well, thanks, Terushima.”

The blond vanished back out into the corridor.

Suguru would be lying if he said he didn’t feel nervous walking to the Judge’s room. Washijou was fair; he had to be, to be the Judge. Yet he was the harshest Judge Suguru could remember them having in the years he had been at the Hub, and he had been a rather controversial appointment for his apparent poor temper. Suguru had managed to lay low so far and had never had a one-on-one meeting with him.

Until then, that was.

His soft knock at the door was immediately answered, and he slipped inside, gently closing the door behind him. It was dimmer within the Judge’s office than the rest of the Hub. Luckily, Suguru was able to adapt swiftly.

Washijou glanced up from whatever he had been staring at on his desk. “Oh, Daishou. Yes. Sit down.”

Suguru had the feeling that was an order. Without hesitation he took a seat opposite the Judge, doing all he could to appear confident without coming across as arrogant. As he did so, he smiled and tilted his head a little, widening his eyes.

“Sir. It was a surprise to have been called in to see you.”

“Relax, you haven’t done anything wrong.” The Judge waved a hand in his direction. “I have called you here because of the creature that escaped from us.”

Suguru froze. It was all they had been talking about, of course. A creature with clearly strong but unknown abilities. If it could handle their blaster-fire like that…

“I’m sorry, sir, but I thought that someone had already been dispatched to deal with that?”

He was not sure how much he was supposed to know, but half the Hub were aware that it was Daichi who had been sent. Michimiya and Ikejiri had not exactly been silent in their worry for their friend. And Shirabu had told Suguru and some others in the lab before he left, that he would be meeting up with a couple of the other members of Ushijima’s unit- Yamagata and Kawanishi, if he recalled correctly, both fine officers- to provide further assistance from above and backup if required. Like Kuroo, Shirabu had been a field agent before he went to work in the lab; although Shirabu had made his decision to switch after just a few short months.

Washijou was nodding slowly. “Yes, that is so. And I hope that we are able to apprehend it before any serious events occur.” His eyes narrowed, the creases around them folding in on themselves. “However, that is not what I meant.”

He paused. Suguru remained silent, waiting for him to continue. He did not want the Judge to feel as though Suguru was rushing him.

Finally, he spoke; “I have some suspicions, Daishou, and you seem to be trustworthy. Believe it or not, I do keep track of everyone who works on the Hub. You had some issues in training, but you appear to have smoothed those out, and even took some of those younger than you under your wing.” Internally, Suguru snorted, wondering whether Washijou meant his friends. He guessed his talks with Kuguri could be counted as mentoring, even if they didn’t always work out so well. “And I believe you are involved with a trusted agent, Yamaka Mika.”

Affecting a blush, he dipped his head. “That’s so, sir.”

Washijou did not seem to be taken in by the bashful display. His voice was severe when he continued. “Daishou. I have reason to believe that somebody from within the labs assisted the creature in escaping. However, I cannot say for sure as to whether it was an accident, or if there was some kind of malicious intent behind it.”

Somebody _helped_ that thing get out? He couldn’t be serious, could he?

“But why would somebody-”, Suguru began, before stopping himself and clearing his throat. He couldn’t afford for the cool façade to slip. “I mean- who would do that? And why?”

“Your guess is as good as mine as to why. That is why I am asking you- not to investigate, or anything of that sort. But merely to keep your eyes open. And if you see anything strange, hear any strange discussions perhaps, to report that directly to me.”

The Judge fell silent, his gaze stabbing directly across the desk at Suguru.

Suguru had the sudden feeling that Washijou knew exactly who it was- hence why he hadn’t answered Suguru's question as to who could have done it- and that this was perhaps a test, to hear Suguru's own suspicions.

Of course, his mind immediately went to Kuroo. However, he soon dismissed the thought: As much as he disliked Kuroo, he could not see him putting them in danger like that. It was likely, as Washijou said, that it had been an accident, perhaps one of the trainees or new recruits that tended to drop things and leave doors unlocked.

But Kuroo _had_ been the one who was supposed to go in to deal with the hybrid that day…

“I simply want you to discover whether this was an accident, or if there is some wider conspiracy that I should worry about.” Washijou placed his hands on the desk, leaning forward.

Narrowing his eyes, Suguru muttered; “What’s in it for me?”

“What do you _mean_ , what’s in it for you? Not getting _fired_ is what’s in it for you!”

Ah, and there was the temper that Suguru had heard of. It had probably been a bad time to make a joke like that.

Hurriedly he stood, dipping his head. “Of course. Sorry, sir. I will be vigilant from now on. If I catch word of anything, I will come back to you.”

As he backed away, Washijou dismissing him with a wave of one gnarled hand, his thoughts turned to his colleagues.

What was it Daichi had said, that day? Had he not accused Kuroo of releasing the creature? Had he known something? Suguru did not truly believe that there could be some sort of conspiracy on board, especially one with goals as apparently confusing as releasing dangerous creatures on board the ship. Somebody would have heard something, surely. But somebody acting alone…

A pair of golden eyes flashed through his mind. Hadn’t Kenma been there, also? Kenma, their assistant, always so quiet as he moved around in the lab.

But _why_ would he…?

No, Suguru was not going to be raising any suspicions until he had some kind of evidence. For all of his petty squabbles with Kuroo and his general dislike of several others in the lab, Suguru still had respect for them as scientists. Still, if it emerged that somebody had breached protocol and endangered their colleagues, Suguru was determined that he would be the first to know.

Whoever it was, they had best be watching their back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm supposed to be doing readings :) if anybody else is procrastinating, please take this as your sign to continue working :D you can do it!!!
> 
> Also, [how Daishou boutta be.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEqwqIwMfMw&ab_channel=Alistae)


	16. Chapter 16

Hinata was happy.

He was so happy with all of these new sights and sounds and smells. Happy just to be away from that cell. So happy that he felt like he couldn’t even hold all of the happiness in his body, like it needed to burst out.

As they marched down the path, he let just a little bit slip out, skipping and humming tunelessly, the one word that had been on everyone’s lips that morning.

“School, school, school. School, school, school.” It sounded funny when you said it over and over again like that.

“Schoooooool.” He dragged out the vowel.

“Schoolllll.” Pushing the consonants out of his mouth, listening for the clicking noise that came with them.

Kageyama snapped; “Can you shut up for five minutes?”

Hinata turned to glare back at him, walking sullenly at the back of their trio. Was he always like this? Hinata had truthfully never met somebody so miserable, not even the solemn guards on the big ship they had taken him to before, the ones that watched him in the cell.

Another one of those small ships- _cars_ , they were called _cars_ \- whizzed by, and the fumes that came from it distracted Hinata enough that he lost track of what he wanted to say to Kageyama.

“Tobio”, Oikawa cautioned from ahead. Hinata had wanted to call Kageyama that, too; he thought it was a nice-sounding name, with the vowels. Only Kageyama had told him the night before, after Oikawa had left them in the small room where Kageyama slept, that Hinata was only to address him as Kageyama if he wanted to stay with them.

“What?” Kageyama frowned at his brother, his gaze sharp. “It’s bad enough that he’s wearing my clothes.”

Oikawa pinched the bridge of his pointed nose. “I told you, I’m not made of money. And they’re too small for you now anyway, I was only going to give them to Matsukawa to give to his little brother.”

Hinata could see how tense he was. He wondered whether it was to do with the argument that he had had with Kageyama that morning, just before they left.

Another car drilled by and Hinata nearly gagged at the acrid fumes it gave off. How did the people on this planet live like this? Home had smelt bad sometimes- Suga had often brought in strange materials- but never this bad.

Oikawa paused and turned without warning, and Hinata swiftly altered his course to follow.

They went through a gate, taller than Hinata himself was yet made of flimsy material and inside of a small building. A long table stretched across half of the room, and the person sitting behind it- a lady, Oikawa told him- smiled and stood once she spotted them. Hinata got the impression that she was older than either Kageyama or Oikawa: She was tall, for one thing, and her face was lined and darkened with specks of radiation from what seemed to be long-term exposure to ultraviolet light.

“Hi”, Oikawa began, nodding his head. He gestured Kageyama and Hinata forward. “I’m just dropping my brother off for school, but I also need to sign this one up, too. He’s our distant cousin and he’s new to the area. His mom’s busy so I’ve been keeping an eye on him.”

Ah. That was what Kageyama and Oikawa’s argument had been about that morning, he recalled. Oikawa had insisted that they tell people Hinata was a distant cousin.

Kageyama had stormed into his room, where Hinata had been sitting on the bed with his hands in his lap, listening to the row raging below, and asked; “What about when his parents come to get him, then?”

And Oikawa had yelled back from downstairs; “Tobio, he doesn’t _have_ parents, don’t you get it? He’s not from here.”

Kageyama had rolled his eyes at that and then, turning and spotting Hinata, barked at him to get off of his bed.

He had been right, though. Hinata did have a parent. He had Suga.

It was easy to stay quiet, to not want to hum or sing, when he thought of Suga. Suga and the one who had been with him. The one with the blaster. Hinata squeezed his eyes closed, rocking on his heels.

“Hey, kid, watch what you’re doing”, Oikawa half-chuckled.

Hinata blinked his eyes open. He had rocked so far forward his face had nearly made contact with the desk.

Slowly, he eased himself backward to stand upright. The lady had turned away from them and was gathering thin sheets of material in one hand, which she then passed to Oikawa. He picked up a stick and began scratching at it.

“Why are we even taking him to school?”, Kageyama demanded, kicking at the floor with the toe of his shoe as he leaned against the wall beside them.

Oikawa gave another laugh that Hinata could see was forced: No humor touched the rest of his face at all. “I can’t leave him at home by himself now, can I? And I have to go to work.” He reached out to ruffle Kageyama’s hair, but Kageyama ducked away from his brother’s searching hand. Oikawa turned to the lady. “Kids, huh?” Leaning in, he dropped his voice, as though he wanted to prevent somebody from hearing what he was saying. “Our cousin is… A little sensitive, so please keep an eye on him.”

“Don’t worry, we will.” She beamed. “What’s his name?”

“Hinata.”

“His full name?”

Hinata felt the atmosphere in the room change as Oikawa and Kageyama stared at each other.

Another name? Was he meant to have more than one? Suga had never told him that.

He was starting to think that there was a lot Suga hadn’t told him.

“Oh, _his_ name”, Oikawa laughed, pointing to Hinata. “I thought you were asking for _my_ name, I was going to say, surely you know me by now.” He paused, his jaw working.

“Shouyou”, Kageyama blurted out, before Oikawa could continue. He was standing upright now, so straight it looked like an invisible string had been threaded through his head and was tugging him toward the sky. “His name’s Shouyou.”

Oikawa nodded. “Yes, Hinata Shouyou.” Even with his calm demeanor, Hinata caught the confused look he threw at Kageyama.

Shouyou.

Hinata had never really given much thought to the name Hinata before. He liked it, he supposed. But Shouyou.

A lot of vowels and soft sounds. He ran it over his tongue. Easy to say, easy to remember.

Yes, he liked that name.

And it was _his_ name. Hinata couldn’t wait to tell Suga once all of this was over and they got to go home again.

Hinata blinked his gratitude at Kageyama, but Kageyama simply turned away from him.

Oikawa spent some more time scratching at the surface before passing it back to the lady.

“I’ll just let the teacher know that we have a new student.” She vanished through a door at the back of the room.

Turning, Oikawa dropped down onto one knee in front of Hinata so that their eyes were level. Oikawa’s stare was intense as he placed his hands on Hinata’s shoulder. He had already given Hinata a list of things to watch out for before they left: Hinata wondered what he was about to add to that.

“Please, _please_ , be good”, Oikawa whispered. “If anything goes wrong, or you see those men again at all, get the teacher, okay?” His pupils darted from side to side, and then he slanted his head to put his lips close to Hinata’s ear. “If anybody asks, your birthday is the twenty-first of June, okay?”

Hinata nodded. He was unsure of what that meant, but he knew he could figure it out. It sounded as though it was information specifically to be used only for a certain situation. “Okay.”

Oikawa stood, looking to Kageyama. “Be careful.”

“We will.” The midnight-haired boy rolled his eyes.

The lady came back, and a minute later, after another exchange, Oikawa left. Almost immediately, Kageyama walked away.

He was already halfway across the small field to the back of the building when Hinata caught up with him. “Hey! Where are we going now?”

Kageyama did not look around, swinging the bag he had over one shoulder by its long strap. “To the classroom.”

“Where’s that?”

He pointed to another building, a squat square one, just ahead of them. Oh. So that was where they were headed.

“Just in there. Listen-” His face was red, and Hinata thought he might be angry, although he didn’t really get why. Did school make him angrier than usual? “-in there are my classmates. They might ask you stuff. Don’t be weird or they’ll make fun of you. And I will, too.”

Hinata tilted his head. “What do you mean, weird?”

“Like how you’ve been acting!”

He didn’t really think he’d been acting weird; but then, this whole planet was weird. Them thinking he was weird too made sense. He would have to ask Kageyama later- when he was less angry- what it was that made him weird.

When Hinata said nothing else, Kageyama stalked into the building, and Hinata followed, moving deliberately slowly and carefully as Oikawa had instructed.

The whole building, it turned out, was a single room. Like a lot of the other places Hinata had been on this planet, it made largely of wood; a rare organic material he remembered Suga keeping around, sometimes while it was alive. There were about twenty people inside, most of them around his and Kageyama’s heights, all seated at tables. The one exception was a very tall lady who stood at the front.

Hinata blinked, feeling overwhelmed. So many people all in one small space!

Kageyama looked at him from the corner of his eyes. He said; “It’s a small school, this is everyone in my year.”

He thought _this_ was not many? Hinata had never had anyone like him around. It was bizarre to think that Kageyama was one of so great a number.

The lady called him forward to the front and introduced herself as Miss Ito before announcing to the class that Hinata was a new student at the school. Hinata noticed Kageyama slouching into one of the table seats, keeping his head down.

“You can take a seat, now, Shouyou”, she told him when she was finished speaking.

He hesitated. There were no free seats near Kageyama.

Were there any at all? Everywhere he looked, a pair of eyes stared back at him. Was this a test of some kind?

Ah- there. His gaze finally landed on a seat in between a dark-haired boy and a girl with light golden-colored strands.

Hinata marched toward her and stood at the side of her desk.

“Hi”, he said. “Can I sit here?” It was always best to check first.

The girl stared up at him, round eyes wide. She did not say anything.

Had she not heard him? Or- there was a word he was supposed to use when asking for things, right? Oikawa had said so.

Clearing his throat, Hinata tried again, louder.

“Can I sit here please?”

The girl gave a small squeak, and the room fell silent, all shuffling ceasing. Distantly, he heard Kageyama let out a groan.

Miss Ito was frowning at him.

“Shouyou. Be quiet and sit down.”

Well, that meant it was okay to sit, at least. Hinata slid into the seat. It felt cold underneath him.

Miss Ito began to speak and, since he had no idea what she was saying, Hinatta amused himself by humming and looking out of the window. He had gotten used to sitting still and being quiet from his time in the cell, although it did not mean he enjoyed it very much. After only a few minutes, he became restless and drummed his fingers on the table.

The boy next to him, one with black hair that framed his face, hissed; “Could you be quiet?”

Hinata stopped his tapping. “Sorry.”

The boredom soon set back in. He turned his attention to thinking about this odd family he had met. Oikawa was nice. He liked Oikawa, he decided, even if he could be a little strange sometimes. He didn’t like Kageyama very much, though. He was rather rude, even if he was interesting when he talked about volleyball.

A voice near him murmured; “Erm… Hinata? It’s break time.”

Jolting in his seat, Hinata turned to find that the girl that he had sat near was staring at him. She stood next to his chair now. When had she moved? And what was she saying? He stared at her in confusion.

“Huh?”

She waved her trembling hands in front of her. “It- it’s break time, so you can get up now. Sorry, it looked like you were sleeping, so I thought…”

Everyone else in the room was out of their seats, Hinata noticed now, chatting in small groups, with two exceptions. Miss Ito was finally sitting down, staring down at her own table; and Kageyama remained seated, scribbling something with the same object Oikawa had held earlier. He glanced toward Hinata, his eyes narrowed, and his head ducked back down.

And then someone stepped in front of Hinata, blocking his view of Kageyama.

“Shouyou? Didn’t we study a play that had a character with that name recently?”

Hinata tipped his head back to gape at the boy before him. He had to have been older: He was taller than any of the others that Hinata could see, and he wore glasses, indicating a weakening in his vision. His lips were curled into a tiny, almost imperceptible, smile.

Wait- what had he said? Hinata gaped at him, unsure of how to respond.

The girl bit her lip and fiddled with the hem of her shirt to one side. Another boy who had joined them, this one with strange markings on his face, snickered.

“What did you say?”, Hinata asked.

“I said Shouyou is the name of a character in a play we studied recently.” The older boy raised his eyebrows.

Hinata thought that over for a second. Somebody else had his name? Did that mean Kageyama had…? “Maybe I was named after them.”

“Maybe.”

Silence fell, and Hinata had the distinct impression that this boy was waiting for a reaction of some sort.

“Anyway, I’m going to go and sit with Kageyama now. Because I don’t like you. I think you’re not very nice.” He stood, and was saddened to see that the only one he was taller than in this group was the young girl.

“What?” the other boy, the one with the markings, blurted. “Tsukki _is_ nice!” When Hinata looked at him, he cringed back.

“Not really, though”, a voice muttered behind him, and Hinata saw the dark-haired boy at the other desk.

It looked as though some sort of dispute was about to break out. Hinata was not about to get involved, not when Oikawa had told him to be good.

Pushing past the others, he marched over to the desk beside Kageyama and sat down.

His false cousin appeared to become aware of his presence in stages: First twitching and then sighing, before finally whirling to glare at him.

“I thought I told you not to bother me at school?”

“You told me not to be weird.” Did he really not remember that? It hadn’t been that long ago. “And you’re the one being weird, you’re sitting on your own.”

Kageyama scowled.

Just past his head, Hinata caught sight of two other boys with the same dark hair as Kageyama, only in different shapes, standing in a corner together. They met Hinata’s gaze when he looked at them and, as he watched, the shorter of the two leaned in to whisper something to the taller. An uncomfortable feeling began to churn in Hinata’s belly.

“Who are they?”, he whispered to Kageyama, nodding his head at them.

Kageyama did not even look round. “Nobody.”

“They have to be somebody.”

“Well, they’re not.”

If anything, Kageyama was the weird one, Hinata thought. And the stubborn one, too.

Glancing back over his shoulder, Hinata saw the older boy was now deep in conversation with the other boy and the girl.

“Who’s he?”, he wondered.

Kageyama actually did look up this time, following the direction of Hinata's pointing finger. His mouth set in a hard line at the scene.

“Tsukishima.” His voice was monotone, completely flat. "Put your hand down."

Hinata did so. “Is he older than us?”

“No, he’s just really tall. He seems to think that means he’s better than the rest of us.” So, they weren’t one of those species Suga had told him about where they kept growing as they got older, where height was used to identify age. Hinata would have to keep that in mind.

“Is he a bully?” That was another one of the things Oikawa had told him to look out for before they left that morning.

“No, he’s just a smartass. Don’t talk to him.”

Hinata craned over to see what Kageyama was doing and, to his delight, recognized it. Drawing. He was drawing. The method was rather primitive, yet line after line appeared as Kageyama’s hand traced what Hinata now saw was a page.

“What are you drawing?”, he demanded, leaning over for a view unobscured by Kageyama’s left arm. “Can I see?”

Kageyama hunched over even further. “No.”

Tilting the chair back, Hinata moaned to the ceiling; “You’re boring!”

“Shut up, dumbass, do you want us both to get in trouble?”, Kageyama snapped, slamming his page upside down as he whirled to face his new neighbor.

He was about to argue back, even gearing up in case of the need for a physical fight, when a ridiculously tall boy loomed over him. Even Tsukishima was dwarfed in comparison to him.

“That’s my seat”, the tall boy said.

It was probably best, Hinata decided, to just leave rather than arguing.

With one final glare at Kageyama, he rose and sauntered across the room. Tsukishima had vanished now, luckily, standing back by his own seat with the other boy who had joined him previously. The girl with pale hair was also back in her seat, doodling in the same way Kageyama had been. He glanced curiously over her shoulder as he passed but could not make out what the drawings were.

Hinata slumped back down in his original chair, just as a clapping noise sounded from the front of the room.

“Break’s over, back to your seats”, Miss Ito announced with a slowly spreading smile. “And I hope you all remembered to study for the exam today.” Her gaze rested on Hinata. “Shouyou, I know you may not have studied this, but I will ask you to also complete the exam so that I have an idea of what level you’re at.”

Stiffly, Hinata nodded.

What was an exam? It sounded important. So why had Oikawa and Kageyama not warned him about it before?

Seeking answers, he looked over to the other boy, simply to find that Kageyama was leaning forward with his forehead pressed against his little table, his hands clenched in tight fists.

A thrill of panic ran through Hinata: Whatever an exam was, it was not going to be good.


	17. Chapter 17

When Tooru returned from walking the kids- how weird it was to think that he was now responsible for multiple children- the house felt nearly forebodingly quiet. The soft _chik_ of the door closing behind him rang loud in the hollow silence, and he winced at the sound of his shoes thudding onto the floor as he slipped them off.

He had never felt so actively afraid in his own home prior to this. Well, maybe as a kid at night in bed after watching horror videos online. But even then, he had known that fear was irrational.

Creeping around corners to check that rooms were empty, he hurried upstairs: Tooru still needed to get ready for work and he did not have that long. There was no time for paranoia.

He opened the closet, rifled through his shirts, and then, while he was still thinking over what to wear, his legs went limp and he found himself slumping down onto his bed. His body collapsed in on itself in defeat, and he stared down at his hands, clasped in his lap. Still obsessively well-taken care of, even though his days of playing volleyball were far behind him.

Was he really supposed to go to work and carry on like things were normal? What was even going on? That gun… The bullets which emanated heat. They had cut through his house like it was nothing. And Hinata had _caught_ one of those in his hands.

If Hinata wasn’t an alien, he was from a laboratory or some sort of government facility.

Leaning back on his hands, Tooru tipped his head to stare around his room. All of his science-fiction posters, science textbooks, and magazines about telescopes and searching the galaxy for extraterrestrial life: How absurd it all felt when that life seemed to have come to him.

Was Tooru doing the right thing in letting Hinata stay? Of course, he was just a child and shouldn’t be hurt or ‘destroyed’, as he said he was going to be. But Tooru also had to think about Tobio, and himself. So, should he kick Hinata out?

A deep sigh escaped his lips, and he shook his head.

No time to think about this. He was going to be late.

Standing, Tooru tugged his shirt off. It was the one he had slept in the night before, down on the couch by the front window after Iwaizumi had left, a knife hidden under the cushions. He pulled on a fresh one, although he wasn’t sure why he bothered; he would have to wear something over it when he got there, but who knew what that would be?

He double-locked the doors before he left. Tobio would be home before he was- a fact which was troubling yet unavoidable- however, he had his own keys, so they should be able to get in fine.

Even if he did kick Hinata out, he theorized as he made his way along the road, it probably would not stop him from coming inside if he wanted to. Not after what he had seen the kid do before. _If_ he had really seen it. Tooru was still unsure that it was not a dream.

No, it couldn’t be: He had seen the damage to the upper floor of his house. He could remember the singed smell coming from the holes the blasts had made. It had been real.

Once he reached his destination, he switched his phone to vibrate and tucked it into his pocket. Normally he left it in his jacket or left it in one of the little lockers in the lobby, though today he felt it would be best to keep it on him, just in case.

Tooru made his way through and into the bar area. The lights were still off and the natural sunlight coming in through the windows was dim: They wouldn’t be opening until around lunch. The only people in the room when he entered were the boss, Mr Morikawa, and Hanamaki, who wore a bright aqua and yellow jacket; the ‘standard’ wait staff jacket.

When Tooru entered, they broke from the conversation they had been having, Hanamaki pivoting to peer at his colleague.

“Hey, Oikawa- are you okay?” Hanamaki squinted and frowned. “Iwaizumi said you had the police out to you yesterday?”

“The police?” Mr Morikawa’s thick eyebrows rocketed halfway up his forehead. “Is there something I should know about?”

Great. The last thing Tooru needed was his boss thinking he was getting involved in criminal activities.

Sighing, he answered; “No, it’s not a problem. Just… Some guys tried to break into my house.”

“What?” Hanamaki gasped. “Did they take anything?”

“No, thankfully not.” He moved to join Hanamaki in setting the tables.

Mr Morikawa gave a disinterested grunt, abandoning the remnants of whatever his conversation with Hanamaki had been and walking through the doors at the back of the room to the kitchen.

What a bastard, Tooru thought. He had never shown much concern for, or even interest in, any of his staff. Why would he really, when they were easily replaceable? The work was fairly easy in itself, and while the pay wasn’t great it wasn’t terrible: There were tons of high school kids out there who would kill for this job.

He was just smoothing down a tablecloth and placing some cutlery down when Hanamaki sidled up beside him, wordlessly reaching into the basket of plates to help out. Under his breath, he whispered; “Are you sure you’re okay? You look really tired.”

Tooru was grateful for his concern; genuinely, he was. But telling Hanamaki that he seemed to have accidentally adopted an alien would likely not convince his friend that he was in a fit state of mind.

So, instead, he simply shrugged and kept his eyes down on his task. “Just couldn’t sleep last night.”

“I can imagine. I wouldn’t have come in at all if I were you.”

“Yeah, well.”

“Is Tobio alright? That must have been scary for him.”

Was Tobio alright? Tooru couldn’t remember the last time he would have said his brother _was_ alright.

“He wasn’t there.” Tooru finished with the basket and turned to get another from the cabinet for the next table. “He’s fine.”

He had been the same as ever that morning: Complaining that Hinata had taken his clothes, seemingly oblivious to the danger they were potentially in. Tooru wondered whether Tobio even understood what was really going on.

Hanamaki was watching him when he stood back up with the basket. He didn’t say anything, but his face was worried.

“Where’re Iwa and Matsun?”, Tooru asked, heading to the nearest bare table.

“They got stuck getting stuff ready in the kitchen. The chef who was meant to be on tonight quit.”

That wasn’t exactly odd with the number of staff they went through. “Really? How come?”

“He’s just in a bad mood.” Hanamaki jerked his head in the direction where Mr Morikawa had vanished.

Tooru nodded and hummed, making a mental note to keep his head down for the day. He would have already- it was understood by all of the staff that they had to when the boss was in- only today it felt even more pertinent.

The two of them went about their business and, soon, the tables were arranged, cutlery and condiments neatly set out. Having no desire to go into the kitchen and announce that they were done, they busied themselves with wiping down the bar.

How were the kids getting along at school? He hoped Hinata was not about to do anything that children shouldn’t be able to do. Honestly, he would have no clue how to explain that sort of thing away. More importantly, he hoped that they were all safe and that those men had not come back.

He probably had nothing to worry about, Tooru reassured himself. Tobio was not necessarily the smartest academically, but he knew when a situation was not right and Tooru had warned them both to be careful. Hinata had seemed fully in control of whatever abilities it was that he possessed. If the worst came to the worst, he had a strange feeling that Hinata would do what he could to protect the others: He wasn’t a bad kid, after all. Tooru could tell that much.

A wave of guilt at his earlier contemplations, when he had debated throwing Hinata out, washed over him. He-

The sound of the kitchen doors swinging open and then softly closing had Tooru jumping out of his skin.

Iwaizumi stood in the doorway, sporting a chef’s uniform and an apron. His sleeves were rolled up to reveal his muscular forearms. Tooru tried incredibly hard to recover from his heart attack.

“Woah, are you okay?”, Iwaizumi asked when he spotted Tooru.

Why was he asking that? Was Tooru pale? Were his eyes bloodshot? Hanamaki had seemed to think he looked tired as well. He would have to go into the bathroom at some point and sort himself out before any customers could see him.

“I’m fine.” He gave Iwaizumi a grin, this one coming more naturally than the wobbly smiles he had given Hanamaki. “Aw, Iwa-chan, have you been worrying about me?”

Iwaizumi moved forward to hit him lightly around the back of the head. “Idiot, you know what I mean.”

“Better wash your hands when you go back in”, Hanamaki commented in an aside.

“Yeah, don’t want Oikawa germs getting in the food.”

Tooru pouted at them.

“Anything happen after I left?”, Iwaizumi asked, his thin eyebrows knitting together as he rested his elbows on the bar, right in the spot that Tooru had just wiped.

Biting back a complaint, he responded; “No. No sign of anything. And Hinata was fine, too. He’s gone to school with Tobio.”

“You sent him to school?” His friend’s eyebrows flew right back up.

Tooru rounded defensively on him. “What else am I meant to do? Leave him in the house alone?”

“Fair point.”

Mr Morikawa’s rotund face appeared in the doorway to the kitchen, calling Iwaizumi back. He left with one last parting shot, delivered to Tooru’s shoulder this time.

“Stop standing around and get back to work.”

“I only stopped because you came out to bother me.”

Iwaizumi ignored him.

Once they opened up for lunch, the hours flew by. Tooru spent his time parading around in a jacket similar to Hanamaki’s- thankfully there were no ‘traditional’ outfits today- making drinks and informing disappointed customers that they were running a limited menu only today and _no_ , they could not order that item from the regular menu and _no_ , he had no control over that, it was just an issue to do with the chef and _no_ , the chef was not sick and about to infect all of them, he was just unable to make it in, most sincere apologies about that.

He was just setting several empty glasses down at the bar for Hanamaki to put in their washer when he felt something moving in his pants pocket, underneath the bottom of his jacket.

His phone was vibrating.

Someone was calling.

Nearly dropping the tray of drinks onto the counter, Tooru reached for the phone and held it up in the light.

It was Tobio. He was calling. Something was wrong.

“I’m just going outside for a minute”, Tooru hissed. “Can you get my table for me?”

Hanamaki followed his gaze to the group of elderly men and women who were just finishing their dishes. “Sure.”

Out in the lobby, Tooru’s hands trembled. It was after school hours now: They should be at home. Oh, why had he even left them? Hanamaki was right, he should have just called in sick. Or let Mr Morikawa know what was happening and hoped that he was enough of a decent human being to let him stay at home.

“Tobio?”, he breathed into the screen.

His brother’s breathless voice burst out at him. “Tooru! We-”

There was a clattering noise, and then a muffled whirring.

Had he dropped his phone? Why? How?

“Tobio?!” His heart leaped into his throat when he got no answer, just the whirring. “Are you there? Tobio? Hinata?”

He was almost shouting by that point, and he knew it, but he _needed_ someone to pick up, to know what was going on.

“Oikawa?”, a voice asked behind him, and his heart sank. Mr Morikawa. “What are you doing out here?”

Tooru waved one hand to silence him, straining to hear what was going on.

“Shh! Tobio?”

Hinata’s voice came through the speakers, yet it was so distant that he could not hear what was being said. The whirring cut off, then abruptly grew louder, and a weird humming sound appeared alongside it. Humming, like… Like an intense heat.

Tooru ripped off the jacket he was wearing and thrust it toward his boss.

“I need to get home”, he said, “I’m so sorry, but I need to go, my brother-”

“You can’t leave in the middle of a shift.”

“Sir, my brother is home alone and he needs me.”

“Oikawa”, said Mr Morikawa, “if you walk out that door now, consider yourself done here.”

Hanamaki burst through the door, empty plates balanced on one arm. “Sir, I can cover for him, just let him-”

Tooru did not stay to listen to anymore, just headed to the door. He needed to run.

Behind him, he heard his boss- now, probably, his former boss- telling him not to bother coming back, and Hanamaki calling his name, but it no longer mattered.

The streets were quiet, and Tooru navigated them quickly, racing in the direction of home. The call with Tobio was still ongoing. All that he could hear was that awful noise.

Running up the road felt like jogging on a treadmill or moving in a dream. There seemed to be no sign of anything wrong with the house- at least, from the outside- which was relieving.

“Tobio!”, he cried at the door, and listened. No sounds.

The front door was unlocked, and he flung it open, not caring who he would find inside. All of his earlier fear was gone, replaced by adrenaline.

And there came the humming noise: Incredibly faint, but there.

“Tobio!”

Tooru flew into the living room. Empty. Nothing out of place.

Returning to the hallway, he took in a shuddering breath. Cautiously now, slowing down, he took a few more steps. “Tobio?”

“Tooru?”, his brother’s voice called. A small clinking noise accompanied it, as though something was shifting. The sounds were definitely coming from the kitchen. “Tooru?”

Tooru braced himself for the worst. His fingers reached for the door handle.

Slowly, he turned it, pushing forward, and found Tooru wearing cow-patterned mittens as he frowned at the oven.

The oven, which was making a strange humming sound where the grill was turned up to high.

Hinata, precariously balanced on a stool in front of an open cupboard door and wearing an apron and a hat, was holding a large bowl, in which a whisk rested.

Flour was everywhere.

On the surfaces, on the floor, in Hinata’s hair, and on his face.

Tooru took a step into the room and spotted Tobio’s phone lying face-down on the floor, under the kitchen table.

It took him a few seconds to remember how to speak.

“What- what are you doing?” He pointed at Tobio. “You. Why did you call?”

“Oh. We were playing in the garden but got hungry and wanted to make a cake, only I think the stupid oven is broken. I wanted you to show me how to fix it.” Defensively, he added; "I normally only use the hob part."

“You’ve turned the grill on”, Tooru answered automatically, and paused, incredulous. “You called me for a _cake_?”

“Yeah.” Tobio blinked innocently. Tooru could have hit him.

“Kageyama, how many more eggs do you have?”, Hinata asked, peering into the mixing bowl.

“What? How many did you put in?” Tobio made his way over, going up on his tiptoes to look inside and then frowning up at Hinata. “Did you put the whole carton in?”

Numbly, Tooru walked to the oven and switched it off; released a breath he was not aware he had been holding; and sunk down onto his knees in defeat.


	18. Chapter 18

Alright, so maybe Tobio did feel a little bit bad about Tooru losing his job. And more than a little worried about what it meant for them. But things had always seemed to work out for Tooru in a way they never did for Tobio: That was just the way it was. Tooru knew people, knew the way things worked. He would figure something out.

Besides, what was he complaining about? He had hated that job. The number of times he had complained to Tobio… And it also meant that Tooru would have more time to play volleyball with them now: For a while, anyway.

Which was why Tobio was a little confused over the intensity of his brother’s glare. For the last hour or so Tooru had refused to join them in the garden, stewing silently in the kitchen as he scrubbed the surfaces. Every now and then Tobio had looked inside, concerned by the way his brother had sent him and Hinata out into the garden, and then slammed the door closed, to find his brother glowering through the window at him.

Tobio had really been looking forward to that cake, too. They weren’t complete idiots; they would have figured it out eventually. The only problem had been the oven which, Tobio maintained, was broken. Once they had fixed that he would have been able to actually help Hinata with his part and it wouldn’t have been such a disaster.

The recipe had seemed so simple as well. After Tobio had gotten frustrated at Hinata’s rejection of every dinner option that was not meatballs- which they didn’t have, anyway- they had scoured the internet for recipes, and this one had caught their attention. Tobio had even felt he needed something sweet like that, in a way, after that literal failure of an exam. So much for that idea.

Yet again, Tobio found himself running in the direction of the ball after it bounced awkwardly off of Hinata’s hands and headed toward the bushes. He couldn’t even get a simple receive right: This was going to be impossible.

“Maybe actually watch the ball coming toward you this time”, he hissed as he reached for the battered volleyball.

Turning, he found Hinata glaring at him. He had changed out of his uniform and was now wearing an old faded green hoodie that Tobio thought might have been Tooru’s at one point and rolled-up jeans that were definitely Tobio’s.

“Sorry!”, Hinata called, “Let’s try again!”

Tobio returned to his original spot on the grass, taking a few steps forward before serving toward Hinata. This time, the boy completely missed and ended up sprinting after it as it rolled toward the back fence.

Glancing about the yard, Tobio caught sight of Tooru watching them through the window with his eyes narrowed. He had ditched the plastic washing up gloves he had worn previously, a sign that the cleaning was likely done, and was resting his chin on one hand as he watched. Briefly, his gaze latched onto Tobio’s, and Tobio looked away.

Hinata came dashing back with the ball. “Can I serve to you yet?”

“No.” Tobio shook his head. “I want to practice my serves.”

“Stop being selfish.”

Tobio gritted his teeth. Who was Hinata to call him selfish? Hinata didn’t even know him.

“Ten more and I’ll let you serve.”

The red-haired boy’s eyes narrowed. “Five.”

“Seven.”

He wasn’t going to shut up, was he? “Deal.”

Hinata gave a triumphant grin and threw the ball to Tobio, who caught it against his chest. It was quite a hard toss: It almost knocked the wind out of his lungs.

Drawing in a deep breath, Tobio served the ball once more.

That time Hinata actually managed to bump it back, appearing in the path of the ball in the blink of an eye. It was unfortunate that it ricocheted off of his face; however, it did at least travel vaguely in Tobio’s direction.

“Did you see that?”, Hinata demanded, unfazed by the red mark on his cheek. “Did you?”

Tobio stooped to pick the ball up. “It was a basic receive, don’t get too excited.”

When he turned back to the other boy he saw that his eyes were so wide that, where they caught the golden evening sunlight, they seemed almost to be sparkling. Tobio blinked. He was so weird.

At least he hadn’t done anything _too s_ trange while they were at school. He seemed to know when to keep his head down, to some extent. Either that or he was as confused as Tobio was when it came to school as a whole.

Twirling the ball in his hands, Tobio looked over to Hinata. “My brother still thinks you’re an alien, you know.”

Hinata tilted his head. “Alien?”

“From space?” Tobio was beginning to get fed up with the constant questions.

“Oh.” Hinata righted himself, head straight now. “Yes.”

“Yes? You think you’re from space?” His incredulity only grew when Hinata nodded and he muttered, under his breath; “You really are a freak.”

At the disoriented look on Hinata’s face, Tobio felt kind of bad.

Sighing, he tucked the ball under his arm and told the other boy; “Don’t worry. My brother thought he was an alien for a while too. You’ll grow out of it.” He looked Hinata up and down. “Well, we can hope you’ll grow.”

There was the sound of a door swinging open, and then Tooru commanded; “Give me the ball.”

Tobio turned to look over his shoulder. His brother was standing with one hand held out in front of him, palm up, his expression unreadable.

Hesitantly, Tobio bounced it over.

What was Tooru going to do? If he was trying to stop them from playing, Tobio was not going to be happy. Were they in trouble again?

But Tooru simply held the ball in front of him with one hand outstretched and said; “Well, there's no point in me sitting around while you're out here. Show me what you can do, kid.”

Tobio was confused for a split second, until Tooru bounced the ball into the air and then reached his hands up in an oh-so-familiar manner, fingertips pushing upward as the ball arced gracefully back toward the earth.

Hinata seemed to have caught on faster than Tobio had: The same sparkle appeared back into his eyes, and he took a few strides forward before propelling himself skyward, leaping up…

And up, and up. Tobio’s mouth fell open. Hinata’s legs were easily at the same height as the branches on their tree.

He had just leaped a full storey into the air.

Tooru’s toss came up short, but Hinata’s hand knocked it on the downswing, sending it bouncing into the bushes, and the setter whistled as his spiker landed with a soft thud.

“Wha…” Tobio felt as though he had stopped breathing. He wheeled to face Hinata, still crouched with his arms out in the same position that he had landed, and clutched at the air with both hands. “You! How did you _do_ that?!”

“I know, _right_?” Tooru’s eyes shone almost as bright. “Are you joining the volleyball club?”

The fierce certainty with which Hinata had leaped vanished from his face when he straightened up and looked to Tooru, replaced by the same questioning expression from before. “There's a club?”

“There was no practice today”, Tobio said numbly. He was going to have to take him on Monday.

But then how could he, with what Hinata had shown he could do? What would Coach say? What would everyone in his class say? People would want to come and see, and it would go on YouTube, and Tobio had planned to be well-known as an athlete one day but he didn’t know whether he was prepared to handle that fame just yet, he sucked at interviews… Having someone more athletic than him on the team…

A resounding slapping noise jolted him back to the present, and he watched as Hinata once more fell back to earth, the ball rocketing ahead of him straight onto the patio.

“You had your eyes closed”, said Tooru. “Can you try to aim it at all?” He tapped one finger against his chin, looking around. “Aim it… At the base of the tree. Not too hard, though.”

The next time the ball went up, Hinata once again soaring alongside it, the ginger boy hit it down just to the left of the tree. When he landed, he seemed disappointed, his shoulders caving.

Tobio stared, mouth open. That ball had hit the earth hard, hard enough to have chunks of turf flying up. Why would he be disappointed with that? Tobio would kill to be able to hit a ball that hard. Whatever science experiment Hinata had come from, Tobio wanted in. 

Tooru put his hands on his hips. “Okay. Good try.” He tapped his chin once more, swiveling to face Hinata. “Well, if you’re going to play on a team with actual people, you can’t do that.”

“What? Why not?”, asked Tobio. If Hinata hit the ball like that, they would win any match.

“Tobio, no kid your age should be able to do that. People will freak. We don’t want to draw attention to him.”

Tobio had to admit that his brother had a point.

“But we still want to win…”, he argued lamely, aware that the reasoning wouldn’t hold up.

“Alright”, said Tooru. “We’ll just have to work on teaching you to be good while appearing human.”

Wait. _Appear_ human?

Tobio turned to Hinata.

“Are you an alien?” It couldn’t be true, could it? Tooru had been joking when he said that.

Hinata hummed. “I think so? I’ve been thinking about it while you were sleeping.” He paused and then added; “In the books it said extra-terrestrial, though.”

He’d been reading Tooru’s books? _He could read?_

Something else dawned on Tobio.

“What do you mean, while I was sleeping?”

“You sleep for longer than I do. But you only sleep once. I’m used to sleeping a few times a day.”

"Lazy."

"I don't sleep as long as you do though!" 

Tobio shuddered at the thought of Hinata’s shining round brown eyes in the dark, the boy sitting bolt upright as Tobio himself slept peacefully feet away.

“No wonder you’re so strange…”, he said. “I bet you’re even weird for an alien.”

“Hey!” Hinata aimed a kick in his direction, and Tobio swiftly dodged away.

“Knock it off, you two.” Tooru had a weird look on his face, and Tobio knew that smile: It was the expression he got when he was truly excited about something, just a slight twist to the corners of his mouth, teeth peeking through like he could not control it. Tooru looked between them. “You know, I think the two of you might just make the perfect partnership.”

Tobio and Hinata said, at the same time; “Huh?”

“Yep. I can see it now. You complement each other well, with your skills. We just need to work on it a bit.” His gleaming eyes faded slightly. “Tomorrow I’m going into town to look for anywhere advertising vacancies. I want the two of you to come with me so I can keep an eye on you.”

“Why can’t we stay home and practice?”, Tobio demanded.

“In case somebody comes back for shrimpy here.” Tooru pointed to Hinata.

Tobio shivered: He had genuinely thought that Hinata was from some strange family or had been abducted and that was who had come to the house looking for him. Now he finally was starting to process that Hinata was… Well, an alien- which was still ridiculous, and he didn’t know if he fully believed it yet, maybe he was just on some kind of steroids- the thought of who those people were became more sinister. Some government agents? Or… Maybe actual aliens? _Other_ aliens, that was.

The same fear he had felt when Iwaizumi picked him up the other day gripped him. Unconsciously he shifted a little closer to Tooru. If something like that was going to happen, he wanted to stay with his brother.

“Okay. I guess so.”

“And we can practice at the beach after I’m done”, Tooru continued. I’ll try and get Iwa-chan to join us after his shift ends if you like.”

“Yes!” Iwaizumi would be able to protect them! He had always been really strong. And he was good at volleyball, too, and was usually willing to team up with Tobio to beat Tooru.

Suddenly it didn’t seem like tomorrow was going to be such a bad day, after all.


	19. Chapter 19

Daichi was not entirely sure whether this thin sheet of plastic was sufficient to hide them, but Sugawara had seemed certain it would be, and so it would have to do for now.

“Hinata’s probably overwhelmed by all of the new sights and sounds, too. He won’t be paying us any attention”, he had nodded assuredly, when Daichi gave him a disbelieving look. Daichi had had little choice but to take his words at face value.

It seemed to be working. So far, anyway. As they sat in the booth in the corner of the café, they had not been noticed or approached by anyone, asides from a smiling waitress who had brought them the drinks that Daichi had pointed to on the menu and then left them to make up their minds with regards to food.

Food.

Daichi felt his stomach growl.

While the other three chatted, he busied himself with scanning the menu and the food that was advertised. While he was not entirely sure what most of it was, it did seem appealing, and they had not eaten since Nishinoya and Tanaka went out and brought back some food the night before which they had insisted was amazing, but which Daichi had found to be rather lacking in taste.

“We can’t just walk over and take him!”, Sugawara hissed close to his ear, distracting him from his thoughts.

Like Daichi, Sugawara was keeping his head down behind the menu; although, unlike Daichi, rather than studying what was written there, he had twisted to face Nishinoya, seated across the table from him.

“Why not?” Nishinoya splayed his hands on the surface, and Daichi felt a thrill of fear when he nearly toppled his drink over. “That guy he’s with went through that door. It’s just him and the other kid.”

“Yeah, who’d stop us?”, Tanaka’s voice put in, from somewhere on the other side of the menu.

Sighing and sliding forward to ensure that the menu still shielded himself and Sugawara from view, Daichi said; “No, Sugawara is right. There are too many witnesses.”

Aside from their booth, several other tables were crowded with people. It seemed that they had picked a popular time to stop by. A couple of servers walked around bringing beverages to people.

Daichi stole a glance over the top of the menu.

And, of course, the creature was still there with another small child, what appeared to be a boy with dark hair. The man they had entered with had spoken to an older human and together they had vanished through a door in the back, leaving the two children sitting in a nearby booth. Now and then one of them would get up and stretch or wander about, causing Daichi to grip at the menu, the table, whatever was in reach; which, at one point, rather embarrassingly, included Sugawara’s leg.

“We don’t want to get any of the native inhabitants involved.” Sugawara was frowning, and Daichi saw that he was also looking over the menu with a concentrated expression on his face. “Especially that other kid.”

When Daichi peeked again, he saw that both the creature and the child had their backs turned and seemed to be in conversation. It had become clear to him that the humans were likely not hostages: If anything, the creature appeared to be in their custody, following them about and being chastised by the people.

He froze, heart skipping a beat, as the door which the man had gone through earlier cracked open, and a tiny sliver of his face appeared, his hooded gaze intense. Fortunately, his eyes were turned toward the children.

Daichi and Sugawara simultaneously ducked back behind the menu.

“You know, I’m still not sure about this”, Tanaka’s voice came again. “I mean, he really doesn’t look like a hybrid whatever to me.”

“Yeah…” Nishinoya scratched at his chin. His brown eyes were troubled. “I did think he would be… Different.”

“Hey, you guys can’t abandon the mission now! Not after you promised us your help”, Sugawara protested. He tilted his head. “Didn’t you want to be heroes across the universe? I mean… Just think of how you'll be seen.”

“But nobody is supposed to know we were here, so how are they meant to know we helped you?”, Nishinoya asked.

He had a point.

Sugawara didn’t look perturbed by the question at all.

“Well, of course they’ll overlook your little trip here once Captain Sawamura gives you a glowing review, so it’ll be fine to tell them then. They might even offer you a job. Right, Sawamura?” He beamed, and Daichi watched as their two recruits visibly mellowed.

He could be sneaky when he wanted to be, Daichi thought. He was not even entirely convinced that Sugawara was manipulating their emotions, or whether he was just very good at knowing what to say to them. Or perhaps they were both merely kind of gullible.

Daichi nodded. “Right.” Nishinoya and Tanaka were definitely not what he would call ranger material; but, then again, they had Terushima, so who knew?

Sugawara suddenly slumped forward on the table, resting his chin on his hands. “I wish… We could get a little closer to them.” At the alarmed look Daichi shot him, he added; “Just so we could hear them. I’m curious about the other child and why Hinata is with it.”

“Shouldn’t you be able to come up with a makeshift cloaking device or something to move closer?”, Nishinoya demanded. “You’re a mad scientist after all!”

“Hey!” Sugawara pouted up at him.

“Evil genius?”, he tried again.

“That’s more like it.”

Daichi nearly laughed. Before he might have agreed, but now? Sugawara, an evil genius? The one who had challenged Tanaka to see who could be the quickest to suck up their food through the strange plastic tubes that they had received with their drinks the night before and almost choked? How ridiculous.

Instead, he said; “It’s a little risky.”

Tanaka tilted his head. “We could try though, right? Or maybe just one of us? I can walk past and listen in. See if the kid knows anything about what he really is.”

Daichi lowered the menu once more. Apart from the door that the man had gone through, there was nowhere else near them that Tanaka could conceivably be heading for. However, there were a couple of tables closer to the kids that were empty which, in theory, they could move to.

Would they have the chance to snatch the creature if they got closer? Perhaps while the other child was distracted? If Daichi perhaps listened to Sugawara this time and approached without panicking, without drawing his weapon. Or could Sugawara maybe-

“Noya!”, Tanaka gasped, slamming his hands down on the table and cutting off Daichi’s train of thought. He almost dropped the menu but Sugawara reached over to hold it up. “It’s her!”

“Where?”

Nishinoya’s head whipped about to follow Tanaka’s stare, and Daichi echoed them, his heart sinking.

Walking past outside, through the glass window, was a woman with black hair. Daichi couldn’t discern any other features about her other than a short glimpse at a quarter-profile, because she had already strolled past by the time he got to look. Next to her was a tall man with long brown hair.

“It is!” Nishinoya was nearly out of his seat. “And that guy she was with before!”

He and Tanaka swapped looks.

“No”, Daichi began in trepidation, “don’t-”

They were out of their seats and dashing through the door to the café before he could say anything else.

Acutely aware of the number of people turning to look in their direction, Daichi ducked back down behind the plastic sheet, grabbing at Sugawara’s shoulder and tugging him to do the same.

The day had barely begun, and it was already turning into a miserable failure. Daichi was surprised Washijou hadn’t already fired him.

“Guess we can forget about getting closer, then”, Sugawara muttered under his breath.

“Yeah. Let’s just lay low and keep tabs on him.”

“Hey, are you guys all done here?”, a voice asked, and Daichi blinked up as one of the waitresses stood over them, her face and tone impassive. When neither of them replied she cleared her throat.

He glanced out of the window. Tanaka and Nishinoya had stopped the man and women in their tracks and were talking to them. He could only see the man’s face, and he was looking increasingly flustered. Daichi could only imagine what they were saying.

He should probably get out there. After all, now that he had essentially sanctioned Tanaka and Nishinoya’s little rendezvous, he supposed he was partly responsible for them. Or, at least, invested in them not causing trouble.

Involving them had obviously been a mistake. Sometimes his own lack of judgment- or, rather, his misplaced faith in those he knew- astounded him.

Sighing, he resigned himself to the fact that it looked as though he wasn’t going to be eating any time soon.

“Yeah.” He glanced up at the waitress. “We’re done.”

She gave him a weak smile, one hand held out. “Can I have your menu please then, sir?”

“Ah.” Daichi peered over the top. Neither the creature nor the boy with him were looking; instead, they sat side by side now, talking. “Yes, sure.”

He handed it over, then fished for some money in his pocket and, hoping it would be enough, muttered, “Keep the change”, as he handed it over.

Together, he and Sugawara rose from the table and walked out swiftly, marching the first few steps in unison with the confused waitress to shield their departure. Daichi was glad to see that Sugawara, at least, knew how not to draw attention, walking quickly but not conspicuously so and keeping his body mostly turned away from where the creature sat.

Outside, Tanaka and Nishinoya’s voices immediately caught his attention. Neither of them were exactly trying to be quiet. From where Daichi stood, he saw the woman’s thin face as she watched them speaking: Not so much with interest, but more with scrutiny.

“We’re kind of going to save the planet, you know”, Tanaka was saying, rubbing at the back of his shaved head.

She raised one eyebrow. When she spoke, her voice was monotone. “Oh, really?”

“Yeah!” Nishinoya jumped up in the air. Even the strange woman seemed a little startled by it, blinking and leaning away. Her companion, apparently of a more nervous disposition, looked as if he were about to cry. “We-”

The shorter man was cut off when Daichi caught him by the scruff of his jacket and dragged him backward.

“Are you bothering this lady?” Turning to her, he rubbed at the back of his own head, shrugging and smiling to accentuate the gesture. “I’m so sorry, my friends can be a little overbearing. They’re from out of town.”

She stared at him in a manner that was almost unsettling for a moment, before smiling. Daichi could see why she had caught their attention: Her face was exquisite, especially when she smiled like that.

“Oh, no, it’s no problem. But my colleague and I are in a rush and we need to be going.” She indicated to the man by her side, who loomed silently over the group. Daichi thought he could see a bead of sweat working its way down the side of his head, and silently prayed for Sugawara to start using his emotional tricks to help the poor guy out.

“Goodbye”, the tall man said. “It was nice to walk to you- nice to-” He stopped, face going scarlet, and then the woman led him away.

“Huh. Humans can be so strange.” Sugawara watched them as they went, his head tilted and a puzzled expression on his face.

Daichi blew air out through the side of his mouth. “I’ll say.” If that had been him, he would not have been nearly so courteous.

He saw that Tanaka and Nishinoya were also still staring, and gave them each a brisk shake.

“Cut it out, you two. Let’s head to the bench over there. We’ll get a good view of the café without being spotted. We’ll be able to see where they go when they leave.” The only problem was that they no longer had any kind of shield. Grumbling to himself as they crossed to the other side of the street, he pulled the hood of his jacket up. Hopefully, that would be enough for now.

“So, what are we actually watching him for?”, Nishinoya wondered aloud. “An opportunity to run in and grab Hinata?”

Daichi grit his teeth. Nishinoya and Tanaka had already taken to calling the creature by Sugawara’s name for it; something which he himself had occasionally found himself doing mentally and which he had severely reprimanded himself for.

“If it comes to that”, he answered. “But primarily, to get an idea of any routine they have established. If there is any time when the creature is frequently left alone.”

They weaved through a throng of strange bushes and across a patch of grass to the bench. However, just as they reached it, a small beeping noise emitted from Daichi’s pocket, and he jumped.

He turned to Sugawara, but Sugawara was already nodding in understanding, so he walked away from the group to pull out his transmitter.

There was a message on the screen: From Shirabu.

Apprehension twisting inside of him, Daichi opened it to see what it said.

_Ship stolen by creature has been recovered. Heavily damaged but reparable._

Tipping his head back to the fuzzy blue-gray of the sky, Daichi let a sigh of relief pass his lips. Finally, some good news. The creature had no way of getting away, now. At least, not the same way it came in.

He sent back a signal to acknowledge that he had seen the message and returned to the bench.

Tanaka was sat in the center of the trio with his arms folded and legs spread, taking up much of the space. Nishinoya and Sugawara perched on either side of him. Daichi stood awkwardly next to them, fiddling to make sure his hood covered enough of his face.

“You see”, Sugawara said slowly, “what we really need are disguises.”

“Yes!” Nishinoya gasped.

“I’ve seen some people wearing fabric over the lower part of their faces. Some of those may be good.”

“Or a wig.” Nishinoya leaned forward. “Suga, I think you’d look really nice with dark hair.

Daichi tried to imagine it and failed.

“Or you, Daichi! We could turn you blond.”

He wrinkled his nose to show his disapproval.

“What about me?”, Tanaka demanded.

“What about you?”

“Don’t you think I’d look good with a wig?” He pretended to pet some imaginary hair.

Yes, bringing them into this had been a huge mistake. Daichi should just tell them to go home now.

Nishinoya was squinting at Tanaka.

“What?”

“I’m trying to imagine you with it to see if you’d look like your sister.”

“Well clearly not!”

Leaning around their two bickering comrades, Sugawara asked; “What’s going on, Daichi?”

“They recovered the creature’s ship”, he explained. “It sounds as though it crashed, which explains what he’s still doing here, I suppose.”

“Wait- was that a transmission you received?”

Daichi looked down. Both Tanaka and Nishinoya were staring up at him with wide eyes.

“Yes? Why?”, he responded cautiously, hand going to wrap around his transmitter in his pocket. They weren’t expecting to see it, were they?

“So there are other rangers nearby?”

“Well… Yes.”

Tanaka leaped to his feet. “Noya! We have to get to the ship!”

His friend tugged him back down. “No way man, what if they already have it and they’re waiting for us to get back to it so they can arrest us?”

Ah. So that was their concern.

“Don’t worry”, Daichi told them. “They’re not actively searching for your ship so now that they found the creature’s, I highly doubt there’s any real chance of them discovering yours’. And they’ll be so focused on him, your little trip will hardly be noticed. As far as I know, there are no other rangers currently on this planet.” Honestly, he was a little proud that he was one of the few to make it there: Usually special permission was required to travel anywhere near an uncontacted planet, and so only the occasional research team documenting native species had ever set foot there, and even then there were many rules they had to follow, such as not interacting with intelligent life forms if at all possible. “Ushijima’s- one of my fellow rangers- team is up there but they shouldn’t set foot on the planet unless it’s necessary, and technically even I shouldn’t be here.”

The two of them watched him in silence. He thought- perhaps hopefully- that they seemed a little relieved.

Sugawara was staring back at him with a pensive expression.

“Anything on your mind?”, he asked.

“Not really.”

Now that he had their captive attention, he may as well continue.

“So, another reason we’re not moving in just yet is that I want to know more about this creature before approaching. I have a feeling there are a few things that were not in his file.”

The prisoner was biting at his lip. Guilt stirred in Daichi’s stomach, but he didn’t even bother telling Sugawara to stop.

“The truth is”, Sugawara said, “even I don’t know everything about Hinata.”

“But- you created him!”, cried Tanaka.

“Did you never put him through any test of his abilities?”, asked Daichi.

Sugawara ran one hand through his hair. “Well, no. We played catch, and he nearly shot my arm off when he threw the ball at me one time, but… No. I knew he was capable of much.”

“Does he have the same sort of emotional manipulation that you have?”

“Ah. A little of my DNA is in him, so it’s possible he has it, to some extent, but I was never under the impression that he could consciously influence anybody- or, not to the extent I can.” He rubbed his chin with one finger. “I knew he was fast and strong, of course. Didn’t know he could fire plasma back at us like that, obviously.” The guilt strengthened as he glanced at Daichi’s arm, now much better yet still a little sore.

“Hey!”, Tanaka exclaimed and then, quieter, pointing; “Look.”

The man who had been accompanying the children was making his way out of the café, seemingly in a rush as he towed the creature and the young boy by their arms, allowing the door to slam closed behind him. Daichi didn’t feel too concerned about him seeing them: He walked away swiftly, keeping his head down. It could have been that they had spotted Daichi or Sugawara; however, Daichi had a feeling that he was fleeing from something else that had occurred inside of the cafe.

It was funny, in a way. For all of Daichi’s worries about this mission and Tanaka and Nishinoya, it looked as though the humans were having their own problems.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh, sorry that this is a little late again. I'm hoping to have another chapter uploaded in the next few days but we'll see.
> 
> Anyway, I hope that if you're reading this then you're keeping well and the week has been kind to you!


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! :)))) Thank you so much for the lovely comments and sorry that I haven't replied to many, but I am reading them and they really make my day :D I hope you're all well and any work/studies/life in general is going okay!
> 
> I may not be updating this again for another week or so because I have a (thankfully quite short) essay due at the end of this week and there are a couple of other things I want to write before then too, but I will post the next chapter when I can.
> 
> Until then :))))

This place was even worse than school, if that was at all possible. Hinata could hardly focus, with the bright lights overhead and the chatter swirling all around him and swamping his senses. His body itched to get back outside.

There were just too many people here. They were all shapes and sizes now, as well, not only small ones. Many of them were really tall, and while Hinata had been around creatures far larger than himself before, in this closed-in building it was a little scary. Why did they like this kind of architecture here? There were no open spaces, and their rooms were so tiny.

Doing his best to ignore the strange sounds, he focused on where Kageyama was leaning toward the door which Oikawa had gone through with the owner of the café several minutes previously, listening in.

“What’s going on?”, he asked, grasping at Kageyama’s shoulder. They were supposed to be taking turns, but the other boy had so far kept him at bay.

Kageyama snorted. “He’s telling her some sob story about how he’s raising his little brother and cousin. Like it’s hard work to take care of me or something.”

Hinata tilted his head, unfamiliar with the term. “Sob story?”

“It means a story that’s deliberately sad to make people feel symphony for you.”

“Symphony?”

The dark-haired boy sighed, his stormy eyes narrowing as he scoffed; “That’s when someone feels sorry for you. Like me. I feel sorry for how dumb you are.”

Hinata’s hands shot forward, clenching in Kageyama’s hair and drawing a startled yelp from him.

Just when he was about to pull the strands in his fists, the door cracked open, and Oikawa’s face appeared above them. They each jumped at the sight of his eyes glaring down at the scene, completely forgetting their argument. Hinata quickly let Kageyama go and stepped to the side.

“Are you two okay out here?”, he asked, frowning suspiciously.

“Yes!” Hinata nodded.

“We’re okay.”

“Good, good. Just checking.”

The door closed, and Hinata heard Oikawa’s voice saying something muffled, and then laughter.

Hinata flopped into the cushioned seat at the nearby table where Oikawa had told them to sit, and Kageyama slid in across from him.

The silence drew on for several seconds. Hinata slumped onto the table, resting his cheek against the cool surface and wrinkling his nose at the metallic scent rising from it. He let his arms glide forward outstretched so that they almost reached Kageyama, making weird squeaking noises as they moved. Kageyama watched him cautiously.

This was boring. He was bored.

“When are we playing volleyball?”, he whined.

“Once my brother’s found a job. Since we lost his last one for him.”

Hinata nodded wisely. Oikawa had explained about jobs to him last night. He didn’t really understand the full concept but, apparently, Oikawa needed one for them to keep living, and the fact that he had lost his was bad.

“Why doesn’t Kageyama get one?”, Hinata had asked, and Oikawa had laughed and said; “Yes, Tobio, why don’t you get a job?”

Kageyama had scowled, and Hinata had never gotten an answer to his question.

So Oikawa getting a job was obviously important; but why did it have to take so _long_?

After another minute of pondering, Hinata turned his head to stare around the restaurant. One of the servers walking past flashed him a small grin, and he smiled back at her. Being around people wasn’t so bad- in fact, he liked it- just overwhelming, he thought. Luckily, it seemed a couple of tables had cleared and there were fewer people than when they had entered.

Something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye and he sat bolt upright.

Had he really just seen that?

A flash of silver, outside the window. His mother?

He rubbed at his eyes and looked again.

Nothing. Whoever was walking past was gone.

Hinata wondered whether it really had been him. Maybe not. He had seen several others with similar shades of hair while he was there. Probably he had just hoped it was him.

He should tell Oikawa, though. The man had been obsessively asking Hinata whether he had seen his mother- or the man with the blaster- since the other day.

The door swung open with a creak and Oikawa emerged, the older lady beside him. The two of them were grinning and, as Hinata watched, Oikawa enfolded one of her hands in both of his and pumped them up and down.

“Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me”, he said.

“Oh, you’re most welcome.” When she spoke, her voice was pleasant yet thick, as though she had something trapped in her throat. “I’ll need to discuss with my sister, but expect to hear from us very soon.”

Hinata bounced out of his seat and made his way over to meet them. He felt he should probably tell Oikawa about maybe seeing his mother right away, since Oikawa had been so worried about that before.

The woman noticed his approach, turning to him and smoothing her dark dress down with her hands.

“Hello, there.” Her smile was kind. “What’s your name?”

His name? Yes! Finally, somebody else was asking!

Running through the phrases he had mentally practiced, he announced; “My name is Hinata Shouyou! And my birthday is the 21st of June!”

She clasped her hands together. “How lovely. Are you Mr. Oikawa’s cousin?”

“Yes!” Hinata nodded, rocking up on his tiptoes. He hesitated. “Well, he said that I am.”

The lady glanced toward Oikawa. “Oh?”

Hinata frowned, remembering. “That’s what he told the school.” That had been odd, having to pretend to be related when they were in class. Just another reason school had been terrible.

“Told the school?” The lady turned toward Oikawa, and so did Hinata. He looked rather stressed, his earlier ease having vanished, shoulders drawn tight and one hand planted in his hair. Hinata wondered if he was feeling alright.

“When he took me there the other day”, he explained, still looking at Oikawa. Suddenly, he recalled why he had gone over to them. “Oikawa, I thought I saw my mother earlier.”

Oikawa froze in his frantic hair-tugging. “Where?”

“I thought his mother had passed away?”, asked the lady. Her face had gone pale, all color sapped away.

Hinata tilted his head at her. Passed away? Wait. Were they still supposed to be cousins here, like at school? But Oikawa hadn’t said anything like that before they left. And he had asked Hinata to tell him if he saw his mother again.

“Oh, yes. She did.” Oikawa waved his hands in front of his chest, smiling. “He’s just… Not quite come to terms with it yet. Hey, Shouyou, let’s get you home, shall we?”

Confused, Hinata mumbled; “No, my mother’s not dead. He was here the other day, remember?” Was Oikawa confused? Did he really not remember? “With the guy with the gun? You said to tell you if I saw them.”

The lady’s clasped hands had raised to the center of her chest. “Oh, my.”

“We’ll be going now!”, announced Oikawa, far too loud. Several people in the cafe turned to look at them. He gripped Hinata’s arm- hard- and began marching toward the exit. “Thank you again!”

Hinata stared up at him in dismay. Why was Oikawa dragging him along like that? Why did he seem upset when Hinata was just trying to help him? What was going on? Bewildered, he allowed himself to be pulled.

A voice behind them called; “Aren’t you forgetting your brother?”

Oikawa pinwheeled about. “Tobio!”

Kageyama, who had been still seated and watching the exchange with a consternated face, jumped up and ran after them, nearly knocking the elderly lady over in the process.

Oikawa grasped his brother by the wrist and walked them away, through the doors and down the sidewalk. He didn’t stop until they were around the corner and on the next street.

Hinata kept glancing miserably over to Kageyama, wondering if he understood what was happening, only to find the other boy’s face frustratingly blank.

When Oikawa stopped and let them go, Hinata snatched his arm back and gave a short wail to express his distress.

“I’m sorry.” Oikawa let out a long breath, crouching in front of them. “Hinata, I’m sorry, but you can’t say things like that to people. You especially can’t mention your mother.”

Hinata sniffed, glaring at him balefully. He had thought Oikawa was the nice one out of the two of them. “I thought that was just for school?” He shrank behind Kageyama a little.

Oikawa shook his head. “No. Not just for school. Don’t tell anyone. Except me.” Hesitantly, he added; “If you need to tell me something when other people are around, just say that you need to tell me something privately, okay? And then you can… I don’t know, whisper it to me or something.”

“… Okay.” Hinata still was not happy. He felt as though he was in trouble for a rule he didn’t know still applied. It wasn’t fair.

Concerned, Oikawa asked; “Did you really see your mother?”

“Well… I thought I did, but…” He wondered if he imagined it. He had been dreaming of home a lot lately, in those stolen hours that he was able to sleep. “Maybe I dreamed it.”

“Alright.” Oikawa looked between the two of them, and then behind him. Several people were walking past, a few pausing to glance at them. “If you two are okay, let’s keep moving. I have a couple more stops to make and then we can go to the beach.” Hinata lit up at that, and he saw Kageyama’s own eyes growing wide with excitement. “Remember, stay close to me.”

The next stop, it turned out, was what Kageyama called a grocery store, although to Hinata it seemed more like a cart underneath a large bit of fabric that had been stretched to provide shade. All along the cart were various sweet-smelling objects, the majority of which were round and brightly colored.

“What are they?”, Hinata asked, leaning over to sniff at one while Oikawa spoke to the owner, a jolly man with a round nose to match his round stomach.

“It’s fruit, dumbass.” Kageyama clipped him around the ear. The action nearly knocked him nose-first into one of the spikier objects. “Stop sniffing it.”

Although Hinata thought that there was no way he could have heard them, Oikawa looked back over his shoulder to fix them with a glare before continuing his conversation.

“Ah.” Hinata rocked on his heels. “It smells good.”

“Yeah. I like fruit. I mean, I like some fruit”, said Kageyama. “Some of it isn’t so nice.”

“Can I try?”

“You’ll have to ask my brother first. He might buy you some.”

“Hey”, a voice said, and Hinata froze in staring over the shiny fruit. “Look, it’s the king and his new subject.”

Pivoting, Hinata spotted Tsukishima, the boy he had met at school the other day, walking toward them. Another boy- the one with the markings on his face- was following him.

Dread immediately pooled in his stomach. He did not know much about Tsukishima, but for some reason he made Hinata want to run away. And what did he mean, king?

“King?”, he asked, bewildered.

Tsukishima tilted his head, the glass lenses he wore in a wire frame over his eyes flashing in the sunlight. “Oh, do you not know your cousin’s nickname?”

“Nickname?”

“What are you, a parrot?”

Hinata did not know what that was, yet he was sure it was not flattering.

“He’s called the king because of how high and mighty he is”, the other boy said breathlessly, as though telling Hinata a secret.

High and mighty? Was that what a king was?

He looked at Kageyama. Did that mean Kageyama was powerful or something? If so, that was really cool.

Apparently noticing Hinata's look of awe, Tsukishima commented; "That's not a good thing."

“Just go away, Tsukishima.” Kageyama hunched his shoulders almost up to his ears, face drawing down in an intense scowl. If it had been aimed at Hinata, he would have flinched and cowered.

But the blond merely smiled. “Hey now, don’t talk to your teammate like that.”

“Teammate…?” As the words sunk in, Hinata gaped up at Tsukishima. “Do you play volleyball too?”

Tsukishima’s face faltered, an unreadable expression falling over it, before he said; “Yes.”

“Tsukki is one of the best on the team!”, the other boy enthused. His shaggy brown hair fell into his face when he spoke and he pushed it back with one fisted hand. “He’s a middle blocker and it’s good because he’s so tall!”

“Cool! I want to join the team too!”

The boy shared Hinata's grin, but then stopped and took on a sullen look as Tsukishima began to laugh.

Questioningly, Hinata looked between them.

“But you’re too short to play volleyball.”

Too short.

All of the people on the TV… They had been practically giant.

Too short.

But Hinata could hit the ball. Oikawa had been impressed with him, even, and Kageyama said that Oikawa knew a lot about volleyball.

“Am not!”, Hinata cried, hating the way his eyes stung. He noticed how Tsukishima's eyes widened and he took a half-step away. “I could beat you any day.”

A quiet voice said; “He could.”

Hinata looked to Kageyama in surprise. Even Tsukishima and that other boy appeared frozen, gaping at Kageyama.

“He’s got no skill”, the black-haired boy amended swiftly, “but he’s athletic and quick.” Shrugging, he tucked his hands into the pockets of his pants.

Tsukishima muttered under his breath, just loud enough for Hinata to hear; “Rare praise from the king.” He tilted his head back again, in a way that suddenly seemed mocking. “Well, I guess we’ll find out on Monday.”

He and the other boy started to walk away. Their footsteps rang in Hinata’s ears.

Too short.

No skill.

He clenched his fists.

“Wait! I’ll show you I can do it!”

Hinata himself was not entirely certain he had spoken aloud until Tsukishima and the boy with the longer hair turned back toward them, faces doubtful.

“What are you doing?”, he vaguely heard Kageyama hiss, but he paid him no attention.

He glanced around them. Oikawa was still talking to the man. The man seemed to be smiling, and Oikawa had taken to gesturing with his hands, his back turned on where the children stood.

Shuffling over a few steps, he surveyed the cart. Most of this fruit was too small to be anywhere near a volleyball. There were some striped green ones, but they seemed far too large, and a little misshapen.

Well, they would have to do.

He took a hold of one of the colorful fruit from the cart. Its surface was smoother and it was a little heavier than he had expected. Giving it a gentle squeeze, he was reassured at how sturdy and hard it felt.

Hinata gave one final glance over his shoulder. The adults were not paying them much attention at all. Surely they would not mind if he borrowed this for just a minute if he put it back after.

The other three boys were watching him with expressions ranging from confusion to apprehension.

Okay. Just like he practiced. He would show Kageyama too.

Hinata tossed the fruit up into the air, as high as he could manage. As it arced back toward the earth, he pushed himself up off the ground- that was a good jump! Yes! They would be so impressed!- and swung his arm down to spike.

Because he had closed his eyes a second before, Hinata felt rather than saw the fruit explode.

One minute there was the smooth surface against his palm, and then his cheeks felt wet, as though drops of water had flung up and hit him in the face, and his palm was cutting through thin air.

He landed back on the earth, eyes still closed, in a crouch. Something felt wrong.

It was quiet: Too quiet. Oikawa and the man had stopped speaking.

Oh, no.

Opening his mouth to ask how bad it was, to apologize, Hinata paused as he got a taste of the wetness. It was… Sweet. Pleasant. He could add that to the list of local food he liked.

Humming, he licked his lips and finally opened his eyes.

Kageyama, Tsukishima, the other boy, and the cart, were all covered in juicy red chunks. Littering the grass in front of him were the green shell of the fruit and a few pieces of white rind.

He didn’t dare look behind him.

After a beat of silence, Tsukishima removed his lenses, wiped them on a clean area of his shirt, and said; “Well. You sure showed me.”

With that, he and the other boy walked away. The boy whose name Hinata still didn’t know kept looking back over his shoulder in a manner that was nearly frantic.

“Hinata.”

Ever so slowly and carefully, Hinata turned around. He felt his foot make a horrible squelching noise when he stepped into part of the exploded fruit.

Oikawa’s face was the picture of terror, his lips drawn back in a snarl and his eyes shadowed.

Hinata swallowed.

The three of them didn’t speak as they walked down the sidewalk. Hinata thought that perhaps Oikawa had run out of words after berating him and then profusely apologizing to the fruit man.

Oikawa was really mad at him, he could tell that much. It had been obvious from how roughly he had wiped at Hinata's face with one of the serviettes he had ordered Kageyama to go in and swipe from the café they had earlier fled, if not from his thunderous expression.

He hadn’t even told them where they were going now.

Halfway down the street which they were currently storming along for what Hinata was almost sure was the second time, Oikawa stopped, Hinata and Kageyama nearly running into him, and growled; “Finally.”

A figure was approaching them from the distance. As it came closer, it raised one arm in a wave and began to jog.

Hinata squinted. He recognized this man. He had been there before, in Oikawa and Kageyama’s house.

“Iwaizumi!” Kageyama looked happier than Hinata had seen him all day. It was no surprise: Both he and Oikawa had talked about Iwaizumi to Hinata, telling Hinata how cool he was.

Looking him up and down, Hinata agreed. He looked like a volleyball player: Big- although not as tall as Oikawa- with strong arms.

“Hey, Kageyama.” Iwaizumi came to a halt by Oikawa; hesitated, running one hand through his short dark hair; and then waved at waist height. “Hey, Hinata.”

Oikawa shook his head. “Don’t talk to them, they’re in trouble. Did you finally escape from your shift?”

Iwaizumi gave him a good-natured smile. “You mean, the shift that I covered for you?”

“Don’t worry, you won’t have to cover for me anymore.”

The smile vanished.

“Look, I can try and speak to him and-”

“Don’t bother.” Oikawa folded his arms. “I called him last night. Apparently, the decision still stands.”

Hinata wondered who they were talking about. It was probably something to do with Oikawa’s job if he was mentioning last night, he figured.

“Are we going to the beach now?”, demanded Kageyama. He looked tired, his eyes sunken as he stared up at his brother, and Hinata felt a jolt of symphony.

Oikawa waved a hand at him. “Not yet. There’s one more place I want to try. Iwaizumi- please, _please_ , keep an eye on them while I go inside.”

Almost as soon as Iwaizumi nodded, Oikawa shepherded Hinata and Kageyama toward him, turned on his heel, and vanished inside a store a few yards away. Scrutinizing it, Hinata realized he was right: They had definitely passed by here at least twice before.

Iwaizumi directed the two of them out of the way of the pavement, and they soon found themselves resting in the shade to the side of the building, watching people walk by. Kageyama explained to Hinata that the things rolling past were cars and not ships and that they help to take people to the places that they want to go to, after Iwaizumi suggested they count how many different colored cars they saw.

So, like a ship, then, but only for the ground. And Iwaizumi claimed it was really hard to drive one because you had to take a test and there were certain people who would race in the cars to see how fast they could go and tried to beat each other- which was almost as cool as volleyball but not quite because there was no jumping in the video he showed them- and that could be somebody’s actual job. Kageyama said, as Iwaizumi stood and wandered back and forth several feet from them, that there were actually a lot of jobs based around cars: Making them and selling them and fixing them and driving them.

“Cool!”, Hinata enthused, attempting to process all of that information. “Do you have a car?”

It would be fun, maybe, to try driving one. Would it be similar to the ship, or not really? He couldn't recall seeing one in the house, but maybe they kept it somewhere else.

Kageyama didn’t say anything in reply.

Hinata looked toward him: His face had gone dark and he seemed fixated on a patch of grass in the distance.

Tears pricked in Hinata’s eyes and he too looked away, embarrassed. He drew his knees up to his chest.

All day, he had said and done the wrong things. He had already made Oikawa mad, and now he had upset Kageyama too, and he didn’t get why. There were so many rules and secret things he was supposed to automatically know here. He wanted to go home, where everything was uncomplicated.

Sniffling a little, he turned back toward Kageyama and offered; “I can show you my ship if you want. It’s really broken because I crashed it, but I can show you. Maybe if I fix it we can go somewhere and then you won’t need a car.”

Kageyama finally looked at him. “You really come from another planet, huh?”

“Actually... I’m not from another planet, I’m from a station on an asteroid. My home.” Home. His chest ached, and he swallowed down more tears.

“How can it be your home if it’s not a planet?”

“What do you mean?”

“Asteroids move around all the time. You might not be able to find it again. Planets don’t move so much”, said Kageyama.

Hinata’s heart clenched. In his mind, he could see himself, in his broken ship, driving through space and looking for home, unable to find it because it had moved, or completely disappeared. How would he manage to get back without his mother? Had his mother already left without him?

He glared ruefully at Kageyama, who was sneering at him. Why had he even felt bad for Kageyama? Did he think he was superior just because he was from a planet? Tsukishima was right: He really was a king, a cruel and selfish one.

“Take that back!”, he gasped, leaping to his feet and finding that it was hard to breathe all of a sudden. “Take it back!”

Iwaizumi had been peering into the window of the store, but at Hinata’s outburst, he made his way back to the boys. “What’s wrong?”

Hinata pointed. “He says you can’t live on an asteroid because they move too much!” He knew his face was disgusting, nose bubbling with mucus, but he found himself unable to care. “Just because I don’t live on a stupid planet.”

Rather than the kind reaction Hinata had been expecting of the supposedly cool man, Iwaizumi simply seemed perplexed. His eyebrows knitted together as he stared between the two of them.

“Well, Earth is a planet, so you do live on one”, he said eventually. “And, Kageyama, planets move too, you know. Very quickly. Even though it doesn’t feel like it, we’re constantly moving.”

Okay, Iwaizumi was still cool. It was a little better hearing that. Hinata stuck his tongue out at Kageyama.

Kageyama shrugged. “Whatever, it’s still weird…”

“You’re weird”, Iwaizumi said.

“No, you are.”

Watching them, Hinata felt kind of funny. If he and Kageyama had been saying that to each other, there would have been anger in their voices, but when Iwaizumi and Kageyama said it, there was an almost affectionate undercurrent.

“Your brother is weird”, sighed Iwaizumi, before Hinata could wonder any more about it.

Kageyama blinked, joining them in getting to his feet and brushing off his pants. “True. He talks about you all the time. That’s weird.”

“He does?”

“Yeah”, the boy replied, a little distractedly, and Hinata nodded.

“Hm.”

Iwaizumi seemed to be mulling that over when a jingling noise cut through the air.

They strolled around to the front of the building in time to see the door swinging closed, Oikawa stood directly in front of it without moving. When he spotted the trio, he slouched toward them.

“Well?”, demanded Iwaizumi. “How did it go?”

Oikawa’s face was no longer angry. Now, it was purely miserable. “I don’t need the kids to help me screw up. I screwed up myself.”

“They told you that you didn’t get it?"

“No, but I think it was obvious. I just didn’t click with them. I complimented the guy but he just looked really uncomfortable.” His voice took on a whine at the end as he raised his hands and shrugged his shoulders.

Iwaizumi reached out with one hand to touch Oikawa’s arm. Hinata felt like his eyes were burning as he stared at the touch. “You can’t help that. Sometimes you don’t mesh well with someone, even when you both want it to work. Even you can’t get along with everyone you meet.”

Oikawa didn’t say anything, but he still looked sad. He resembled Kageyama more than ever when he was upset, Hinata noted. Something about the jut of their lip and their upturned mouths was eerily similar.

He glanced over at the other boy. He was frowning again, hands in his pockets and shoulders hunched, staring at the floor. The sunlight, now weakening minutely and turning golden as they went into the afternoon, washed over his face and hair, and he would have looked quite nice if it weren’t for the perpetual bad attitude.

“Alright.” Iwaizumi clapped his hands together, startling Hinata and making him jump. “How about we go get some food and ice cream to cheer ourselves up?”

“That sounds good.” Oikawa nodded, then fixed the other man with a sly smile. “So long as you’re paying.”

Iwaizumi aimed a kick at him, which Oikawa expertly dodged, squawking.

Timidly, Hinata approached. “Can we go to the beach to play volleyball too?”

Setting his hands on his hips, Iwaizumi grinned broadly back at him. “Where else are we going to get the ice cream from?”

And, like that, the day was saved from ruin.

Hinata skipped the whole way to the beach in delight, and even Kageyama’s scolding didn’t stop him. They were going to play volleyball.


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I've been absent and not updating... Anything for the past week :( I was supposed to have a chill week so had planned to get loads done but ended up having a couple of unexpected trips to the hospital (nothing serious, but stuff that needed to be looked at) as well as a job interview which came up at the end of the week I had to revise for because it was partly in one of the languages that I study... Don't think it went too well but who knows.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you're well and your week went better than mine :))) and that you enjoy this chapter! I'm hoping to get a couple more done this week too, I have them mostly written but it's just a case of finishing and uploading them. Until then :)

The waves crashed against each other, roaring like a lion, only to then shrink to a hushed murmur as they washed against the sand.

Tooru watched as, with each lap of its watery tongue, the sea inched closer and closer to his outstretched feet. Any second now, it would be touching his shoes.

The decently expensive, ‘smart’ shoes he had worn to make a good impression at the interviews he had totally messed up. Even without Hinata and Tobio causing problems, he had not been able to make a good impression. Obviously, he was a complete and utter failure. He probably should have let Tobio go, as they had suggested at first, to go and potentially been placed with a nice wealthy family who would be able to provide for him and spend time with him.

A sharp, stinging pain in the back of his head had him jolting back and rubbing at the spot with one hand.

“Ow!”

“Stop”, Iwaizumi grunted at him as he too sank onto the sand.

Glaring obstinately out at the sea, Tooru muttered; “Stop what?”

“Stop whining.” A short pause, and then, quieter; “And thinking so negatively. I can tell.”

Tooru drew his knees into his chest and tilted his head to eye his friend speculatively. Instead of the witty comeback he’d hoped to muster, he found himself falling into silence. Iwaizumi’s sharp eyes and the jut of his jaw caught the dying rays of the sun, painting his face a shining shade of copper.

With a huff, Tooru turned back to the sea. Iwaizumi was right: He should stop being so negative. He was alive and the horizon stretched before them was beautiful: That was enough. The air filling his lungs carried a hint of sea salt and a crisp freshness that was invigorating.

If anything, he should be using his time to plan his next move, rather than sit about feeling sorry for himself. The end of one day brought the dawn of another and all that. There would be more job opportunities in the next few days, and it wasn’t like he and Tobio were going to starve. Not for a couple of weeks, anyway.

A thought wormed its way into his brain, and a flutter of gratitude skittered up his ribcage: Iwaizumi wouldn’t let that happen. Tooru was glad that all of his friends cared for him, of course, but he knew that Iwaizumi especially wouldn’t allow them to go hungry. For all they wound each other up- mostly because Iwaizumi could be a grumpy old man sometimes- they looked out for each other. They had known each other for a long time too, now that he thought about it, and had never lost touch the way Tooru had with many of his other old friends during those two great drop-off points in his social life: When he had graduated high school, and when he had been forced to abandon his dreams to care for his brother.

Movement caught in the corner of his eye. Tobio and Hinata were crouched on the sand some distance away, drawing something with a stick. Squinting- he really should have worn his glasses- Tooru made out that Tobio was attempting to teach Hinata how to write his name.

Tooru would have to correct him at some point: Tobio’s writing wasn’t much good, and the sand certainly wasn’t helping.

Iwaizumi nudged him in the side. “Want to get something to eat?”

Stretching, Tooru rose to his feet and reached down to help Iwaizumi up. “Okay. Sure.”

They meandered toward the small stall by the edge of the beach, where the bored-looking elderly man running the stall perked up at the prospect of customers: It was a quiet evening, scarcely another soul around. Iwaizumi ordered some pork buns, whereas Tooru got a choco-banana. He ignored the judgemental glare his friend gave him: He couldn’t help his sweet tooth. And he needed cheering up too, right? Wasn’t that what Iwaizumi had said?

Tooru made sure to keep one eye on the kids and, when Tobio looked over at them, he waved them over.

“Tobio? Want a curry bun?”, Iwaizumi asked as the two wind-tussled children raced toward them.

“Okay!” Tooru’s brother skidded to a halt beside him. He was panting, although his eyes were alight.

While Tobio did not seem much happier in general, Tooru had noticed a certain energy to his movements over the last few days that had been missing for some time. And it didn’t take a genius to work out why. Having someone to talk to- someone who wasn’t Tooru- and compete with was clearly doing him some good. Perhaps Hinaya’s arrival was going to turn out to be a positive thing for them, after all.

“What would you like, Hinata?”, asked Iwaizumi.

“Oh, he’s kind of a picky eater”, Tooru cut in before Hinata could request meatballs.

Iwaizumi considered for a moment, locking eyes with the child, before saying; “Here, try this”, and offering the bun in his hand.

Hinata prodded it cautiously with one finger but did not take it.

“What is it?”

“It’s a meat bun.”

“Meat... Bun?”

He finally took a hold of the bun. Slowly, he leaned in to take a bite, nose wrinkled. After a moment of hesitant chewing, his face lit up.

“Oikawa! I think I like this more than meatballs!” He turned to Iwaizumi, bouncing on the balls of his feet. “Can I please have more?”

Iwaizumi gave a soft chuckle. “Knock yourself out.”

The man’s face rapidly turned to alarm as Hinata started to stuff himself with meat buns from the bag Iwaizumi held, one in each hand and alternating bites. Tooru tried to hide his smile.

“Woah, slow down there”, said Iwaizumi. “You won’t be able to play volleyball on such a full stomach.”

“Okay!” Hinata dropped the half-eaten buns back into the bag.

Iwaizumi grimaced.

Tobio swallowed the last of his curry bun and cocked his head. “We’ll all play together in a bit, right?”

“Yes.” Tooru nodded.

Taking that as their queue to leave, the kids ran off to their previous spot, sand flying in the aftermath of their steps. Tooru and Iwaizumi swapped bemused smiles.

“Hinata’s polite, at least”, Iwaizumi remarked. “And he listens.”

“Yeah.”

The light was rapidly fading as they walked along the shore, taking a seat some yards from the small court. Tooru turned now and then to make sure the kids were okay.

A chill came over him as he watched the sun setting, and he drew his knees back up to his chest, reminiscent of his earlier pose. With the world turning dark and cold like this, it was all too easy to remember everything that had gone wrong today.

Resting his chin down on his knees, he asked; “What am I going to do, Iwaizumi?”

“You’ll find something, don’t worry”, his friend reassured. “You’ll find something better than that crappy place. You’re smart, Oikawa, something will come along.”

“Ah, a compliment from Iwa-chan.” Sighing dramatically, he untucked himself from his curled pose and puffed his chest out, leaning back on his hands.

“Shut it.” There was a long pause. “Look- if things get that tough- I can take Hinata, if you want.”

Tooru’s head snapped around. “What?”

Iwaizumi’s face had taken on a sheepish expression. He rubbed at the back of his head. “I mean, you’d have to talk to that social worker to see if it’s okay, but she seemed weirdly… Set on him staying here, right?” Tooru nodded. She had. “Well, if she’s okay with it, I wouldn’t mind him spending some time with me. He’s a good kid. I could take care of him if you had too much- if you were too busy.”

Huh. Tooru had never considered having one of his friends taking Hinata, just in the short term until they figured out what to do with him. Maybe it would be a good idea, instead of trying to do it all himself. And it would give Tobio some space while still being able to see Hinata regularly.

Then again… They didn’t even know what Hinata was. Would Iwaizumi freak out if he saw the extent of what he could do? Could Tooru really place the responsibility for something like that on him?

There were shouts behind them and startled yelps.

Tooru and Iwaizumi locked eyes and Tooru found himself rooting to the spot, turning his head as though in slow motion. He felt momentarily blinded, unable to see anything his panic was so great, just the colors whirring past his vision.

His first thought was that Hinata had done something, had scared some passer-by.

What he saw was so much worse.

His brother and Hinata were surrounded by a group of men, all with their faces covered. Tooru couldn’t even count how many there were in the pandemonium, not that there could have been any more than five or six: Only that one of them had their hands on Hinata’s arms, dragging him away as his heels kicked against the sand.

Another one of the men produced a long, razor-thin stick. Although it didn’t look like anything Tooru had ever seen before, his brain immediately supplied him with what it was, the realization brought about from the careful way it was held: A needle.

Tobio thrashed in the grip of another man, tearing free and making his way over to the one with the needle.

“Let him go!” he screeched, kicking at the figure, and the needle went flying. One of the group broke off, scrambling to pick it up.

Iwaizumi was already up and sprinting across the sand before Tooru could even react.

Everything seemed to happen in a blur, so swiftly that it was hard to keep track.

One of the men received a punch to the gut from Iwaizumi, although he did not relinquish his hold on Hinata.

Tooru flew to his feet too, sprinting across the hot sand and screaming; “No! Don’t hurt him!”, at the man, who seemed to be preparing to strike Iwaizumi back, one hand drawing away in a fist, elbow crooked.

His pulse raced in his throat. There was no way he was going to make it in time.

Fortunately, Hinata was faster. He tore himself free from the men, and in that weird rule of adrenaline where seconds could either fly past or drag on and on, Tooru was able to watch the fear pooling in the whites of the men’s eyes, their motions turn from offensive to defensive.

The one who had been searching for the needle seemed to have found it, scrambling back to join the others.

Hinata moved between each of the four- there were four, Tooru could see now- his motions blurring as he crawled up and over their bodies. Tooru had no idea what he was doing: Until one of the four began to yell that his blaster was not working.

One of them muttered something, flung Hinata to the ground with a well-timed shove, and then they were running away in the direction of the main street.

Tooru sank down to his knees, slumping over in shock. Time began to move at a reasonable pace again.

After a few seconds’ pause, the eerie silence after all of the panting and yelling swooping back in to fill the void, Iwaizumi too sat in the sand, along with Tobio. Only Hinata remained standing, staring in the direction where the men had run away.

Tooru half-crawled his way across to his brother, sand trickling through his fingers and coating his legs. He knelt up, taking his brother’s face in his hands: It was pale and cold to the touch.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” Tobio’s voice came out hoarse.

Tooru glanced him up and down. He didn’t seem to be injured; there was no blood, and he was not wincing, but he was trembling. Tooru pulled him against his side and then turned to Iwaizumi.

Before he could ask, his former co-worker said; “I’m okay.”

He made his way over to them and one arm came up around Tooru’s shoulder and before Tooru knew it his own nails were digging into Iwaizumi’s arm. He dimly realized he was shaking, too.

“It’s okay”, Iwaizumi repeated. He met Tooru’s stare. “What was that? Was it the same men?”

Had it been? It would make sense. But Tooru couldn’t entirely tell, not with the dark clothing they had been wearing, as well as the black masks over their faces.

Hinata turned back to face them, his features heavily shadowed in the weak and rapidly dimming light. The three of them looked up at him in silence.

A gear shifted in Tooru’s brain. They couldn’t stay here. He had to get home. He had to get _Tobio_ home. It was his responsibility, after all, as a big brother to protect his little brother, and what would his parents have said if they had just seen that, knowing that Tooru had taken him here to a relatively isolated spot of the beach, had looked away, had-

Struggling to his feet, he pulled Tobio up with him and firmly under his arm.

“Why do they keep coming after you?”, he demanded, glaring at the child. “What did you _do_?” He knew it wasn’t fair to blame Hinata, but oh, Tobio had been right there and he had tried to fight them and he was so little and he couldn’t fight back the way Hinata apparently could, and who knew what had been in that needle? What if they had hurt him or taken him, too?

“I- I-”, Hinata stuttered. He clamped his mouth shut, fingers tightening into fists.

Tooru heard Tobio whisper his name. “Tooru…”

Iwaizumi also got to his feet. His phone was in one hand. “I’m calling the police. Hinata, come here. Are you okay?”

Nodding shakily, Hinata stepped toward them.

Tooru swiftly took a step back.

This wasn’t Hinata’s fault, but that didn’t mean that the trouble wasn’t occurring solely around him. Should he even bring Hinata home with them? What if those men followed? It was dangerous, clearly, to have him around…

“I’m sorry…”, Hinata whispered, his voice crackling. Tooru couldn’t bear to hear it. He looked down at his feet. The fact that he was even considering abandoning this little boy... But what else could he do to protect his family?

“You did nothing wrong”, Iwaizumi reassured. His phone was ringing: Tooru could hear it faintly.

He couldn’t stay here. He couldn’t just wait and-

“I’m going home”, he gasped out, snatching up Tobio’s hand and beginning to speed-walk away. His brother followed, stumbling. “Don’t bother calling them, they can’t do anything to keep us safe. Not from this.”

“Oikawa?”, Iwaizumi’s voice called after him, an anxious tone causing it to rise in pitch a little. “Oikawa! Fuck, where are you going?”

“Home.”

Tooru looked back over his shoulder.

Iwaizumi was stood on the sand, one hand holding his phone to his ear and the other planted firmly in his hair, his face distraught. Hinata had taken a few steps after them but had stopped, unsure.

Tooru met his eyes, and then his vision blurred. This was too much.

“Follow us if you want. Or not. I can’t stop you. But if anything happens to my home or my family, just know that it will be because of you.”


	22. Chapter 22

Tobio winced at the clattering sound that came as Tooru dropped his keys onto the surface of the kitchen cabinet. It was dark by the time they had got home, but nobody had turned on any lights, Tobio following Tooru as he stalked straight through the shadowy house to the kitchen.

“Tooru.” He swallowed, watching his brother’s back where it was turned away from them. He wasn’t really sure what he was going to say, but he felt the need to say something. Hinata had looked terrified the whole walk home, trailing several steps behind them and hesitating when Tooru left the front door open, only scurrying inside once Tobio looked back to check on him. It was hardly his fault those men had been after him!

“Hm?” Tooru’s voice was breezy, only he still did not look around. His hands were clenched into fists, Tobio noticed, and he leaned over the cabinet in front of him.

“I’m so sorry about today! I- it wasn’t-! I didn’t mean to-!”

Tobio glanced over his shoulder. Hinata stood in the doorway, his entire body tensed and his face troubled. His throat worked and his gaze was fixed on Tooru, waiting for a response.

When Tooru turned to face them, Tobio dipped his head and added; “I’m sorry, too. About ruining your job interviews. I should have said something to stop Hinata.”

“It’s alright.” Tooru spoke far more calmly than he had anticipated.

As Tobio watched, his brother walked across the kitchen, brushed past Hinata, and padded away down the corridor. Tobio heard the familiar footsteps leading into the living area, and the groaning of the couch when Tooru sat on it.

Holding his breath, he shot a bewildered look at Hinata. The shorter boy stared back, brown eyes wide and wet. Any other day, Tobio might have called him a moron and asked him why he was staring: Only today, he was simply too tired and confused to even care.

Hadn’t Tooru been furious earlier? Why had that changed now? It was so hard to keep up with him sometimes.

Cautiously, with a single nod to Hinata, Tobio began to edge forward. He was aware of the other boy following him as he made his way down the corridor, treading lightly.

Rounding into the living room, he found Tooru sitting as he had expected, on one end of the couch. His legs were tucked up into the side of his body in a way he had rarely sat since he had been a teenager and their mother had lectured him about developing a bad posture. He rested his chin in his hand, eyes fixed on a point somewhere outside the window.

“Tooru?”, Tobio tried again, tiptoeing his way into the room.

Tooru glanced over at them. A tiny smile tugged at his mouth, although it ended with the lower half of his face and did not touch his eyes. “I told you, it’s okay.”

This was… Strange, to say the least.

“And it’s- is it okay for Hinata to stay?”, he checked.

His brother turned back to face the window. There was nothing interesting that Tobio could see out there; only the street outside, and the hill that dipped down behind it beyond. “You can do whatever you like.”

Tobio swallowed, deciding to take a different approach. “Hinata and I were talking earlier, at the beach. About maybe going to see his ship?”

That caught Tooru’s attention. His head snapped around, one eyebrow lifting. However, even then, his voice was infuriatingly calm, none of his usual lilting inflection. “It could be dangerous if people are looking for him. It might not even be there anymore.”

He did not look at Hinata once.

Tobio glanced toward the other boy, who had hung back by the door.

“He’s right”, Hinata whispered. He kept his eyes down, as though ashamed of not having thought of such a thing before. “It might not be there.”

“Right… Forget that idea, then.”

Tobio toed at the floor with one foot and furiously wiped his bangs back away from his forehead with one hand. Was nobody going to say anything else?

Shuffling back toward the door, he physically nudged Hinata with his whole body until he too darted out into the hall. He shot Tobio a nasty look as he did so, which Tobio found he much preferred to his previous solemn despair.

“Umm…” Pausing in the doorway, Tobio looked back at his brother. Tooru had not moved an inch, his face flooded with the rectangle of blue-white light that came from outside, illuminating him against the increasingly opaque shadows in the room. “Tooru, are you coming to bed soon?”

“You two go sleep. I’ll be up later.”

Each step of his regular nightly routine seemed to have become a drag: His legs felt like lead climbing the stairs, and by the time Tobio slipped into his bed he was simply relieved that the day was over with. This was far from the worst day of his life- very, very far from it- but it felt so, so draining somehow.

Still, even with how exhausted he was, Tobio soon found that it was impossible to sleep. He tossed and turned, holding still now and then to listen to Hinata’s rhythmic breathing from the tatami mat several feet away. How was it that he was able to sleep so quickly?

Deep down, Tobio knew that the reason he was unable to sleep was the worry in the pit of his stomach. Nothing like this had happened to him before. Nothing like this had happened to anyone before. He didn’t think so, anyway.

Was Hinata really an alien? He rolled once again onto his side, studying the boy’s face in the dark. He could only just make out round cheeks and the slope of a nose, nothing definitive, through the blackness. How could an alien look like that? Weren’t they supposed to be green? In all of Tooru's old movies they’d come in wanting to probe humans and dissect them, or to take over their bodies and replace them. But Hinata wasn’t like that at all. Unless he was somehow taking over Tobio's body and he hadn’t noticed.

No, that was silly. He turned onto his back. Alien or no alien, Hinata was here now. And Tooru couldn’t just kick him out: Where was he meant to go? Tobio hadn’t even had the chance to teach him to play volleyball properly yet.

Volleyball. They hadn't had the time to all play together today, he realized, and he felt tears rise in his eyes. What a crappy day. Tooru had promised him.

Tobio often felt that he hated his brother when he knew that it wasn’t true. But, just then, he thought that hatred might be real. Why wouldn’t he just talk to Tobio about all of this? Tobio had heard him, talking with Shimizu, whispering with Iwaizumi. Trying to tell them how this family could be in danger. Tobio wasn’t a little kid. If this was involving him, he should know too!

And then Tooru had left Iwaizumi alone at the beach. Tobio hoped he was okay. He had always liked Iwaizumi: He was fun and good at spiking the sets Tobio sent his way. Watching the way Iwaizumi and Tooru played together… Tobio had always secretly hoped to have a teammate like that, one day. When he did, he wouldn’t just leave them standing there on a beach, as the sun went down, with no explanation.

“Why is your brother so nice sometimes and then mean other times?”

Tobio sat bolt upright in bed, heart skipping a beat.

“You’re awake?!”

“Yeah?”

“I thought you were asleep!”

He caught a glint of light reflecting from Hinata’s eyes. “I couldn’t sleep!”

“Well, I couldn’t either!” Realizing that they were yelling at each other for no reason, Tobio deflated. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I just did.” He heard a shuffling noise as Hinata too sat up.

Tobio leaned forward to rest his forehead against his hand, briefly closing and then opening his eyes. How did he still feel so tired? “Oh, yeah. What was it again?”

“It was about Tooru. I wondered why he’s so nice sometimes and then mean all of a sudden?” There was some more shuffling: Tobio imagined Hinata turning to face him. His voice grew shrill as he continued. “I get that I’ve messed things up for him, but I didn’t know some of the things I did were wrong. And sometimes he seems so understanding but then he gets upset with me out of nowhere.”

“You don’t need to think too hard about it. He’s a jerk.” Tobio stopped. That wasn’t fair at all, and he knew it.

Taking a deep breath, he said; “I don’t think he’s mean. I think he’s just sad. And angry.” Angry with me, he thought but didn't say.

He felt it, too. It was always there. Tobio didn’t want it anymore. He wanted to hold everything that he felt at arm’s length and push it away, only he didn’t know how. He had been trying, but it wouldn’t work: The sadness and bitterness always came back.

“Why, though?”, whispered Hinata. “This is… There are so many things to feel. I know my mother always talked about it, but…”

Tobio did not completely understand what he was saying but, at the same time, he sort of did. It occurred to him that he felt bad for Hinata: He couldn’t help being so stupid when he had been dropped into their world like that. Tobio couldn’t imagine going to a whole other planet where he knew nobody. Especially one where even normal people like Tobio struggled to get why they felt the way they did sometimes, couldn’t explain why they acted how they did.

Aware that Hinata was waiting for an answer, Tobio slowly lowered himself back onto his mattress and whispered; “We lost our parents. And our grandfather. Not that long ago.”

The same phrase he had heard Tooru whisper in hushed tones to people when Tobio had bawled so hard in a supermarket that concerned onlookers had gathered around. How awful had that been for Tooru? To have to say that to excuse his behavior, with a tight-lipped smile? It felt awful saying it now, to Hinata.

He felt the tears that had stung his eyes before working their way back up. A flash of blood pooling by the roadside, Tooru’s arms around him.

Hinata murmured; “You miss them.” Tobio wasn’t sure if it was a question or not.

“Yes.” The tears grew burning hot and began to spill, cooling against his cheeks. “We both miss them. A lot. Tooru had to leave college to come home and take care of me. He had to give up all the things he wanted to do because of me.”

There was a short pause. Tobio tugged the covers about his head, angling his face away in the hope Hinata would not hear the muffled hiccupping sobs that came from him. These thoughts... During the day, it was easy to ignore them. He had never asked Tooru to come home. But Tooru had, and it was his fault that Tooru was so angry about it. He tried to hide it, to pretend he loved that job he had hated, but Tobio wasn't stupid, for all Tsukishima said, and he wasn't blind.

“Your family…” The other boy’s voice was tentative yet curious. “What kind of things did they do?”

“They- they used to read to me”, he choked out. “My mom would.” Tobio could feel her cool hand against his forehead, brushing back his hair as he lay in this very bed, the scent of her favorite perfume on her wrist and lingering in the air when she had left. “My dad would always let me r- ride on his shoulders. And my grandpa was the one who taught me to play volleyball.” His voice cracked. Tobio didn’t cry often. Not anymore. But when he did it was always in his room, against his pillow, muffled so that Tooru could not hear him. It was embarrassing, almost sickening, to have someone in his room when he would normally be in private, hiding at moments like this.

And yet, Hinata didn’t laugh. He didn’t say anything else. He had to know Tobio was crying, right? Surely he could hear it.

Maybe… Maybe Hinata understood him in a way, too. He had lost his family. Not in the same way, but he was alone and lost and afraid, in a way Tobio knew.

Tobio wondered whether it was Hinata’s mother who had come for them today. Tobio hadn’t recognized any of the men, but then they hadn’t been able to see their faces really and it had all happened so fast…

“Hey, Tobio?” Hinata’s voice was soft and very close. Tobio jumped when he became aware that Hinata was standing right by his bed. Had he made no noise, or had Tobio been too much inside his own head to have heard him get up? “Do you want to see something?”

“Your ship?”

“No. Something else. But we could go outside: It might work better out there.”

Tobio wiped his eyes. “Okay.”

They slipped out into the garden, Tobio overwhelmed as always by the stillness and silence of the night: It brought back memories of camping in the forest behind their house with his dad, of stargazing for hours and hours with Tooru, their mom bringing snacks out to them, her silhouetted figure in the light from the doorway always a welcome sight.

On the way, they paused to check in the front room. Tooru was still in the same position, although he had fallen asleep, slumped at the window. Tobio resolved to rouse him when they returned.

Once outside, they stood by the tree, and Hinata took a few steps away from Tobio, an intense look taking over his face.

Tobio watched him, shuffling from one foot to another. He had forgotten the downside of being out in the night-time: It was cold. They had not bothered to throw jackets over their pajamas.

Nothing was happening. Hinata bounced on the spot a little, bending his knees in a mini-squat as if he were warming up.

“You’re not going to start glowing, are you?”, asked Tobio.

Hinata froze, tilting his head. “No? Well, just my balls.”

Tobio choked on thin air. “What?”

“I’m kidding. I heard Iwaizumi telling your brother a joke on the way to the beach. It led me to believe that balls are humorous to you.”

“Well, not to me specifically, no.”

Hinata giggled, and Tobio stared back at him. Even if he were an alien… His body seemed to react in a manner similar to humans. His cheeks were flushed with the cold, eyes bright.

Curious, Tobio queried; “So… What _are_ you going to do?”

“You’ve actually already kind of seen it, but… Here goes.”

Glancing around, Hinata took another step away, crouched, and sprang up into the air.

He didn’t come back down.

Tobio gaped as Hinata hovered in the air. He was only a few feet off the ground, but he towered over Tobio, tousled orange hair standing out against the backdrop of a star-studded sky. His legs, oddly, were tensed, feet active as if waiting to land.

“You… You can fly!”

Hinata had a concentrated look on his face, nose scrunched up, as he responded; “It’s more like… Pushing away from gravity.”

His face relaxed and, as soon as it did, he dropped back down to the earth, huffing a breath. A proud grin stretched over his features when he met Tobio’s stare.

“You can fly”, Tobio repeated with even more conviction. He had no idea what else he was supposed to say after seeing that. He no longer felt cold: His body was on fire.

This boy- he really was an alien. Of course, Tobio had known that, but now it was really sinking in what that meant. Hinata was not human.

“I don’t think I can go much higher than that”, Hinata explained, his voice trembling. It was hard to tell if he sounded more nervous or excited, or something else entirely. “And it took me so long to get it right! I had to practice while you were sleeping.”

Tobio shuddered at the mental image of Hinata hovering over him in the dark.

“What do you think?”, asked Hinata, his voice small.

“It’s… That’s…” Tobio struggled for the right words. “That was so cool!”

A grin lit up the ginger-haired boy’s face. “I know right?! It’s like, woosh, and then I’m really doing it!”

“You really are like the sun!”

Tobio clamped a hand over his mouth. That was a weird thing to say. If he had said that at school, they would have laughed at him, given him strange looks.

But Hinata only smiled. “Like my name!”

“Like your name!”

“Do you think I can use it in volleyball?”

Tobio tipped his head. It would be sensible not to, but… “We can try and find a way. But you’ll just have to be careful to not do it too long, so you look human.”

“We’ll have to practice it.”

“Yes!”

The look the two of them shared before hurrying back inside was determined, eager, and warm.


End file.
